


We Need to Notify the Media...

by MsEnglish101



Series: Someday [11]
Category: American Actor RPF, Chris Evans - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Feels, Major Illness, Oral Sex, Romance, Sexual Content, television interview
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:59:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsEnglish101/pseuds/MsEnglish101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris does his best to help Cameron cope with her illness, especially when she needs to go public with it.  He also tries to deal with the changes that will affect him personally as a result of her illness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cameron tries to deal...

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a one-shot addition to the Someday series but it ended up taking on a life of its own...
> 
> Please note: This is actually Part 11 of the series - not sure why one page says Part 12 and the other says Part 11. Confusing, no? Anyway, no worries, there's nothing missing between the last installment and this one.

 

_Bad news like a sucker punch, what do you say?_

_Air knocked out of my lungs, your cue to stay_

_When you hear something difficult don't back away_

_Some people say nothing, good ones engage_

_Don't turn your back on me_

_Don't bury your head deep_

_Just cause you don't know what to say_

_Don't turn your back on me_

_Don't bury your head deep_

_Just cause you don't know what to say_

_It's true_

_That it kicks you in the teeth when you are least expecting_

_Bad news_

_Oh it beats you black and blue before you see it coming_

_Bad news like a sucker punch blew me away_

_People fill the streets like nothing has changed_

_Clock hands tick along, they don't look the same_

_Planes fly overhead like any old day_

_Don't turn your back on me_

_Don't bury your head deep_

_Just cause you don't know what to say_

 

Bad News – Bastille

 

 

Monday, February 22, 2010

 

            There were few things, with the exception of her almost three hundred year old Stradivarius and Guarnerius violins, that Cameron loved more than her 1845 Greenwich Village townhouse.

            It was her first major purchase as an adult, made when she turned eighteen in June of 2003, and it was _beautiful_.  It was five stories of old New York, built back when Greenwich Village was still an actual village.  She’d always loved the Village, having spent time there at the recording studio and, eventually, as a student at New York University.  It was funky and colorful and artistic and while she loved her parents’ Upper West Side neighborhood, she felt a certain pull towards Greenwich Village and decided that’s where she would buy when the time came.

            The house had come on the market the week before she’d starting looking at properties in earnest.  She happened upon the listing on a website and instantly fell in love.  Within days, she’d scored a walk-though with the real estate agent (and, naturally, she brought along her parents.  She didn’t need their permission to buy but she highly valued their opinions).  The house was huge – it _was_ honestly too big for a young woman on her own – but Cameron was thinking ahead towards marriage and kids and the ever present visiting relatives.  Plus, Josh Groban always needed a place to stay when he was in New York.  Besides, she was looking for a space large enough to accommodate both a library and a music room.  In fact, that townhouse had a particular feature that made Cameron want to see it immediately.  Out behind the main house, in what used to be the carriage house, there was a full-fledged library, complete with a fireplace and a wrought-iron and wood spiral staircase that led up to a mezzanine which overlooked the first floor.  She had been enchanted with the little library, and the garden space that sat between it and the main house.  She immediately began calling the library her “Fortress of Solitude.”  The main house was wonderful, too, but needed work to turn it back into the single family house it had been originally built as, and to create her music room along with a small home theatre.  She bought the house and by Christmas, it had been renovated and restored and Cameron moved right in, along with Nigel Langley, the English butler/Cameron-keeper Liam had hired to watch out for his oldest child.

            Anyone who knew Cameron knew that when she had a lot on her mind, she would retreat to her “Fortress of Solitude” and stay there for hours.  Given her near-obsessive need for music, she had the space outfitted with a state of the art sound system but she kept all instruments out of the library.  This was her space to read, reflect, and listen; music-making had a pretty fancy space of its own on the top floor of the house.  It was here that Cameron had been spending an awful lot of time since she’d been given the definitive diagnosis of breast cancer a mere five days ago.  It was here that Chris found her yet again, curled up on the sofa and staring into the fireplace while listening to…was that Bach?  Yeah, Bach.  He shook his head, a little smirk on his face.  Who would have thought that in his lifetime he’d be able to immediately tell one composer from another by just listening to a few bars of music?  Cameron had rubbed off on him in a lot of different ways.

            He stood at the entrance to the library, which was connected to the main house by a glass-enclosed solarium loggia.  He leaned against the doorjamb and watched as Cam continued to come to terms with the blow she’d just been dealt.  They’d gotten word on Thursday – she was on the verge of entering Stage 3 – and much time was spent that afternoon discussing treatment options, side effects, and if her care could be coordinated across three different cities and two continents.  She’d disappeared into the library the minute they’d arrived home, and Chris was the one who dealt with the phone calls to their families.  When he came looking for her, he found she’d cried herself to sleep.  Rather than disturb her, he simply pulled the throw off the back of the sofa and covered her up.  He stoked the fire she’d started in the fireplace then, book in hand, he settled into the matching sofa opposite the one where she slept.  She slept through the dinner Nigel had brought out to them; Chris barely made a dent in his.  Finally, he decided she needed to get some real rest so he picked her up, bridal style, and carried her all the way up to their room – thank God the house had an elevator.  Cam was completely dead weight; she never once woke up as he carried her the fairly long distance between the library and their room.  This routine repeated itself on Friday and Saturday.  Chris told her family to let her have her space.  She didn’t want to talk much to _him_ and he lived with her, so she wasn’t going to be saying much to anyone else.

            She woke up in slightly better spirits on Sunday; at least she was a bit more talkative and she actually sat down and ate the hearty breakfast Nigel had cooked.  When she went to the library that day, she asked Chris to come with her.  They spent the next few hours huddled up on the sofa, talking about what their plans would be for the coming months, what her options were in terms of treatment, and the Monday morning appointment Dr. David had made for them at NYU Medical Center’s fertility clinic.  Unfortunately, harvesting her eggs meant that the start of her chemotherapy would have to wait at least two to three weeks.  She had to undergo the same in-vitro fertilization treatments as a woman who was going to be artificially inseminated.  This included getting special injections and taking other medications to prepare her eggs for harvesting which prohibited her from taking the powerful chemo drugs at the same time.  That was a bit of a concern to Dr. Robert, who’d wanted to start chemo right away.  But Cameron, worried that she might end up sterile, insisted this was something she needed to do.  She and Chris wanted to have kids and they wanted to have options open to them in case the chemo destroyed her ability to produce any more eggs.  The Shapiros understood and so the appointment at the fertility clinic was made.

            The bright spot of that meeting on Thursday was that the Shapiros had reached out to an outstanding oncologist at Massachusetts General in Boston and another at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, and both men agreed to take Cam on as a patient and coordinate all treatment through Robert’s office in New York.  This meant Cam could travel with Chris like they had planned.  Dr. David then gave them a short list of private duty nurses to interview since it was decided that she was better off having a medical professional with her twenty-four/seven to look after her in case of complications or weird side effects from any of the drugs she would be taking for the foreseeable future.  It was a lot to think about and discuss and put into motion, and this was why Cameron took to hiding out in the library, sometimes with Chris, sometimes without him.  During these past five days, it wasn’t unusual for Chris to wake up in the middle of the night and find Cameron gone.  One look out of the bedroom window usually gave her whereabouts away.  He’d ring her on the house’s intercom system – “Want company, babe?” – and she’d say yea or nay.  There were as many nays as there were yeas but Chris understood.  Cameron was the smartest person he’d ever met and she could always come up with a solution to just about any problem.  This was one time that she couldn’t solve a problem herself and it was something so foreign to her, she didn’t know how to get around it or make peace with it.  She needed time to make peace with it, and time – and all the love in his heart – was something Chris could give her.

            They had gotten home from the fertility clinic about an hour ago, weighed down with all sorts of printed materials further explaining the journey they were about to begin and with the medications Cameron needed to prepare for the egg harvesting.  Among those meds were the pre-filled syringes she would have to inject herself with every night for the next two weeks.  Nigel took the meds and the syringes from them to store in the refrigerator.  Cam watched the butler walk away then turned to Chris.  She gave him a long, lingering kiss then whispered, “Give me an hour or so, won’t you, _a ghra_?”  Chris nodded and watched her walk towards the door that led to the loggia.  She was going back to her “Fortress of Solitude,” the materials from the fertility clinic held tightly in her hands.

            Now he stood in the doorway of the library, watching the woman he loved stare at the fire, all the fertility clinic materials spread out over the coffee table that sat between the two sofas.  She sat with her back to the door but he knew that she knew he was there.  “You’re right on time, babe,” she said over her shoulder.

            “You know I’m the magnet to your steel, sweetheart,” he said with a soft smile as he walked over to join her on the sofa.  He plopped down next to her and pulled her in for a long, deep kiss.  He pulled away slightly with a soft hum of contentment.  No matter what was going on, she never failed to reciprocate any shows of affection he gave her.  She gratefully accepted the kisses, hugs, and caresses he offered her.  It seemed to steady her; she constantly said that he was her true port in the storm.  “How’re you doing, babe?”  He looked at all the paper sitting on the coffee table.  “This is all pretty overwhelming.”

            She nodded.  “That it is but I’m okay.  I’ve read through a lot of this stuff already, and I was very happy with the staff at the clinic.  They were really good about going through all the preparations and the procedures, don’t you think?”

            “Yeah, they were.  They made this whole procedure easy to understand.  I certainly appreciated that, given the difference between your IQ and mine.”

            Cam gave him a playful shove.  “Stop that.  You’re into science and you’re very smart.   All this medical stuff appeals to your inner geek, even if we were both wishing we were doing research for a movie rather than for our real lives.”  She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.  “I couldn’t possibly do any of this without you, Chris, you know that, right?”

            “I wish we didn’t have to do any of it at all but, I’m glad I’m the one who’s going to be by your side through this whole ordeal, literally and figuratively.”  He rubbed his hand up and down her arm as he kissed the top of her head.  “Babe, do you trust me to give you those injections?  I mean, you’re not scared I’ll fuck up or something?”

            “I said to stop that, Christopher.  I have nothing but faith and trust in you.  The doctor at the clinic showed you exactly where you need to give me the shot and he went over the medication regimen.  But, despite all that, we do need to start calling those nurses David recommended so we can have someone here with me sooner rather than later.  I mean, I’m pretty sure I can give myself the shot in case you’re not here one night to do it for me, but I’d like to start getting the nurse used to our routines and such before we head up to Boston.”  She looked at the papers on the coffee table and heaved a deep sigh.  “That _is_ a hell of a lot of stuff to take in, isn’t it?  And then when the chemo starts?  Oh, God.”

            Chris hugged her to him and dropped another kiss on her head.  “I’ll feel better having the nurse here, sweetheart.  You’re not expected to have side effects from the fertility stuff but once you get started on chemo…that’s where my biggest worries lie.”

            “Well, at least I’ll be starting treatments here in New York.  Dr. Rob said he’ll give me a couple of days after the eggs are harvested then start chemo.  If I’m seeing the calendar in my head correctly, that should be around March 10 or 11.  We’re not heading up to Boston until March 22nd, right?  Oh, no, wait, I made an appointment with the Boston realtor to see the houses on Beacon Hill and in Back Bay on March 19 so we need to head up there on the 18th.  Grrrr.  I’m going to have to start walking around with a hard copy calendar in order to remember all this stuff.”

            “How many times have I heard your dad tell you to hire a new assistant?”

            “Gia was my assistant until she got married.  After that, Nigel filled in pretty nicely.  I don’t know, babe, I’m just not comfortable with dragging yet another body in here to deal with my kind of crazy.”

            Chris chuckled as he tightened his arms around Cam.  He bent his head to hers and gave her a long, hot kiss.  “I happen to like your kind of crazy,” he said as he slowly pulled away, his voice low.  He suddenly felt the need to take both of their minds off this whole situation for a little while.

            Cameron shivered.  That was his “I’m about to fuck you sideways” voice.  Yeah, oh hell yeah, she could totally stand a few hours between the sheets with this most perfect specimen of mankind.  He’d been so good about putting up with her moods and constant disappearing acts over the past week.  He deserved a little – no, make that a lot of – hot, jungle sex.  “You like my crazy, huh?  Well, do please allow me to show you just how crazy I can be,” she purred in her sultriest voice as she shifted to throw a leg over Chris’ lap and straddle him.

            “I can so get behind that idea, sweetheart,” he said just before Cameron covered his mouth with hers.  The kiss was hot, wet, and deep and they both moaned as Chris slowly pulled Cam’s blouse up from the waist of her pants and slid his hands under it to caress the silky smooth skin of her back.  Cameron pulled away from his hot mouth and worked her way down to his throat where she gently nipped at his Adam’s apple then smoothed away the sting with her tongue.  She slid her hands down his chest and abs as she slowly rotated her hips, grinding herself against his already rock hard erection.

            Chris pulled his hands out from under her blouse and brought them around to her front.  He unbuttoned her blouse, pulled it open and rested his fingers against her lace covered breasts.  Cam moaned softly and brought her mouth back up to his for another hot kiss, enjoying the feel of his hands as they kneaded and played with her breasts.  He was just about to reach for the front closure of her bra when she suddenly pulled away from him.  “Babe, what?” he asked, surprised at her retreat.

            She gave him a sultry little smile.  “You’ve been nothing short of amazing these last few days, _a ghra_ ,” she said softly as she got off his lap.  She reached down and spread his knees wide then knelt in between them.  “I thought I’d show my appreciation for your kindness, love, and support in a way you might find particularly gratifying.”  As she spoke, she reached for his belt and undid it.  She popped open the button of his jeans and slowly unzipped them, mindful of the bulge that strained against the zipper, her eyes steady on his.

            Chris hadn’t expected this little turn of events.  He figured they’d make out here for a while then move up to their bedroom for the main course.  What Cam was doing to him now was a real surprise.  She enjoyed going down on him but she’d never done it anywhere but in the privacy of their bedroom.  He wasn’t sure what had gotten into her but the idea of her initiating this _and_ doing him basically out in the open was a screaming turn-on and sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine.  He brought his hands up, intent on pushing his jeans and underwear down when she clamped her hands around his wrists and stopped him. 

            “Relax, _a ghra_ , I got this.  Just sit back and enjoy, yeah?”

            Chris nodded.  Oh, man, _such_ a fucking turn-on!  “Whatever you say, sweetheart,” he said, his voice low and rough from arousal.  What was this little minx going to do next?

            Cameron winked at him then lowered her face to his crotch.  She pressed a kiss against the bulge in his shorts and chuckled when she felt his whole body jump in reaction.  She took her hands off his wrists and busied herself with finding the opening in his boxer briefs.  Her nimble fingers quickly spread the fabric apart and set his erection free.   She grinned then slowly trailed a finger up along the vein on the underside of his shaft.  Chris gave a shaky groan and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the sofa.

            Feeling playful, she addressed his swollen and weeping member.  “My, my, my,” she said softly, “look at what we have here.  Wonder what I should do with it.  Looks mighty tasty.  Maybe I’ll just have myself a lick.”  She replaced her finger with her tongue and dragged it along the pulsing vein.  Chris let out a long, sultry moan that went through Cameron like a hot knife through butter.  “You think that’s good, huh, baby?  You just wait.  Mama’s got a few more tricks up her sleeve.”  She ran her tongue around his engorged head then let it slide back and forth along the weeping slit at the tip.  She smiled when she heard Chris choke back a sob then went in for the kill.  She covered his entire length with her hot mouth and began to suck, first hard then gentling it as she swirled her tongue up and down his shaft.  After a few moments, he began to thrust lightly, and Cam let him set the pace.  She then matched his thrusts and once again began to suck hard.  She reached into his briefs and gently cupped and played with his balls as she laid her free hand on his lower abdomen.  She knew that he was going to start bucking any second now, and she would use that hand to try to keep him steady so he wouldn’t choke her.  Cam felt his testicles tighten and realized that he was very, very close.  She continued pleasuring him as she listened to the beautiful sounds he made.  Chris was very vocal during their intimate moments, not the least bit shy about telling her what he liked or giving her encouragement when she wanted to explore him.  She could quite easily listen to him all night.

            Chris could feel the tightness in his balls, and he knew he was only moments away from exploding in her mouth.  “Baby,” he ground out, the pleasure Cameron was giving him almost overwhelming him to the point of speechlessness, “I’m almost there.  Are you sure?”  He knew she’d understand what he was asking.  Cam said nothing, just increased her pace, in effect answering his question.  With monumental effort, he reached down and took the hand she had laid on his abdomen in his, intertwining their fingers.  A few seconds later, he arched his back and cried out in what sounded like triumph as he erupted deep in her mouth.  She stayed with him through it all, milking him dry then licking him clean.

            Cameron sat back on her heels and watched Chris recover from his explosive orgasm.  He’d come long and hard but she had held on and sucked him dry.  She smiled as she felt his hand weakly tug on hers.  Apparently he wanted her to join him on the couch.  Looked like Round Two was about to commence.  Well, this would be an interesting new set of memories to be made in her Fortress of Solitude…

            Chris was blown away.  That was, without question, one of the best orgasms he’d ever had.  Was it because it happened so unexpectedly or because it still surprised him how much Cam had learned since the first time she’d done it to him back in December?  Both, probably.  Cam may have only recently been an inexperienced virgin but she quickly became the best lover Chris had ever had.  She was eager to learn what made them each feel good, and she wasn’t shy about telling him what did and didn’t work for her.  In his opinion, that made making love to her that much more fun.  She did draw the line at certain things – “kissing my ass is about as far as you’re ever going to get, _a ghra_ ” and she was _not_ a fan of having her wrists bound – but she was a good sport about most other things.  Being with her was a wonderful learning experience for Chris.  Sex had always been fun but now, being with someone he loved so deeply, it wasn’t just fun anymore – it was deeper than that, infinitely more meaningful and fulfilling.  It was almost like having a religious experience on a regular basis.  And now, after that mind-blowing orgasm, he was ready to see the face of God one more time.  He opened his eyes and looked down at her, found her smiling like a cat who’d eaten a particularly fat canary.  He tugged on her hand again.  “Get that sweet ass of yours up here, babe, we’ve got some unfinished business.”

            Cam chuckled as she got to her feet and once again climbed into his lap.  He framed her face with his hands and said, softly, “That was incredible, babe, really awesome.  You’re amazing, and I’m the luckiest bastard on the planet.  I love you.”  He brought his mouth to hers before she could answer but her soft moan and the way she melted against him told him everything he needed to know.  He kissed her deeply and could still taste himself on her tongue.  Well, now it was time for him to have the taste he craved.  He held her tightly against him and plundered her mouth with abandon as she ground her hips against him.  To both their surprise, he was getting hard again.  He was just about to shift them to lie on the sofa when the softly playing music suddenly stopped and Nigel’s voice filled the room.

            “Miss Cameron, Mr. Evans, I beg your pardon, but Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Bradshaw have just arrived and would like to speak with you.”

 


	2. You Want Me To Do What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron is faced with a couple of hard truths and Chris hears something he totally wasn't expecting...

            “Miss Cameron, Mr. Evans, I beg your pardon, but Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Bradshaw have just arrived and would like to speak with you.”

            Cameron practically fell off Chris’ lap in her haste to untangle herself from him.  “Jay-sus fuck, me da has the worst feckin’ timing on the bloody planet!” she wailed, her Irish brogue suddenly reappearing.  Her hands flew up to her blouse and she hastily began to button it as he leapt up from the couch and stuffed himself back into his underwear.  That done, he grabbed his jeans to keep them from falling down around his knees and took off towards the spiral staircase.  “And where the bloody fuck do you think you’re goin’?” she all but screeched as he took the steps two at a time.

            “I suppose you’d like your father and your publicist to see the fresh boner I’ve got going here, huh?”

            “Oh, shit, no, no, please, carry on,” she said as she waved one hand towards him while she reached for the intercom button on the wall next to the doorway.  “Nigel,” she said, trying to get her voice level, “you may show my father and Ms. Bradshaw to the library.  Thank you.”  She hastily shoved the hem of her blouse back into the waistband of her slacks.

            “Very good, Miss Cameron.”  She could swear she _heard_ her butler smirking.  Well, it did take her a lot longer than normal to answer the intercom.  She looked up to where Chris was pacing back and forth on the mezzanine as he buckled his belt with unsteady hands.  “Well?”

            “Give me a fuckin’ minute, would ya?” he said, his Boston accent coloring his words, much to Cameron’s amusement.  “I was _really_ hot for you!”

            “Were you now?  Good to know.  I promise to make it up to you later, _a ghra_.”

            “I’ll hold you to that,” he groused as he continued to pace.

            She laughed.  “What else are you going to hold…Da!  Sue!  Hi, come on in!”  Cam went into her father’s embrace, blithely ignoring his arched eyebrow at hearing her brogue, then hugged Sue Bradshaw, her longtime publicist.

            “Talking to yourself again, Cam?” Sue asked with a laugh.  Cam smirked at the publicist as she pointed up.  Sue followed the line of Cam’s finger and saw Chris standing at the railing, looking down on them with a slightly pained smile.  “Hey, Chris!  What are you doing up there?”

            “Hi, Sue.  Hi, Da.”  Liam waved at Chris, looking as though he knew exactly what his daughter and son-in-law had been up to.  Chris cleared his throat before he said to Sue, “I was looking for a particular book.”

            “I’ll just bet you were,” Liam muttered under his breath.  Cameron’s brogue plus the identical flushes on both Chris’ and her cheeks and the somewhat suspicious way Chris kept his legs crossed while standing at the railing confirmed to Liam that he and Sue had interrupted some kind of shenanigans with their arrival.  When away from her family, Cam’s brogue only appeared when in the presence of another Irishman/woman, when she was very happy or emotional or just spitting mad, or, since becoming more than friends with Chris, whenever she was feeling amorous towards him.  Liam attributed this particular reappearance of the brogue to the latter.   Despite his adoration for Chris and his joy that they were finally together, Liam still had a little trouble dealing with the fact that his baby girl was now sexually active.  _Very_ sexually active, if the looks Chris and Cam kept exchanging was anything to go by.

            Cameron gave Chris an amused grin at his totally lame excuse for being up on the mezzanine.  Of course, Cam couldn’t help but fuck with him.  “All squared away, _a ghra_?  Did you get what you needed?” she asked with an innocent smile.

            Chris gave her his patented Johnny Storm wise-ass smirk and said, “Not yet, babe.  Give me another minute then I’ll come down to join you.”

            “Take your time, love.  But if you need help, I’ll be happy to give you a hand later.”  She gave him a wink and he blushed hard as he rolled his eyes and turned to the bookshelves.

            Cam turned her attention back to her father and Sue and saw them both looking at her with matching arched eyebrows and knowing smirks.  “What?” she asked, feeling her cheeks burn.  Damn her Irish complexion.

            “Nothing,” they said in unison as they sat on the sofa Chris and Cameron had been occupying just a few moments before.

            Cam glanced up at Chris and found him even redder than before.  There probably wasn’t anything more embarrassing than having your girlfriend’s father (and publicist) figure out that they’d almost caught you _in flagrante delicto_.  Chris gave a helpless little shrug and Cam shook her head and heaved an internal sigh.  She stepped over to the sofa opposite where her father and Sue were sitting and unceremoniously flopped down onto it.  “To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure, Da?”

            “Unexpected, indeed,” Liam remarked as Sue made a valiant attempt to smother her grin.  Cameron just sat perfectly still, her features schooled into a placid mask, her legs crossed and her hands primly folded and resting on her thigh.  She was an excellent actress, Liam had to give her that.  If it wasn’t for that blush on her cheeks, he would never have guessed that she and Chris were doing a hell of a lot more than reading in her beloved little library.  He figured she was inwardly cursing her Irish complexion right about then.

            “Cam, honey, what’s all this?” Sue asked as she leaned over to rifle through some of the brochures and pamphlets spread out over the coffee table.  She picked up one brochure, read the cover then brought startled eyes up to meet Cameron’s.  “IVF?  Why in the world would you be reading about in-vitro fertilization treatments?”

            Cam gave an audible sigh then tipped her head back to look up to the mezzanine.  “Christopher?” she called.  This was not a conversation she planned to have without him next to her.

            “On my way,” his voice floated down to her.  She heard his footsteps on the spiral staircase and a moment later, he dropped down onto the sofa, his arm automatically going around her shoulders.  He pressed a kiss on her temple as he squeezed her shoulder.  “I’ve got you, babe,” he said softly.  Cam nodded and rubbed her hand along his thigh.  She turned back to her father and Sue.

            “Well,” Cameron began, “it’s like this:  chemotherapy may very well save my life, but it might also take away my ability to get pregnant, after all is said and done.  Even though our relationship is, technically, still fairly new, we know that we’re on the road to spending the rest of our lives together and that includes having kids somewhere down the line.  I won’t go into specifics as to how I came to the conclusion that I needed to have my eggs frozen but suffice it to say that Chris and I discussed it, and we decided we didn’t want to take the chance of not having the option to have a biological child should the chemo leave me sterile.”

            “We wanted to make sure we have all the options available to us to have a baby of our own,” Chris put in.  “I mean, science has come such a long way, why not take advantage of it?  If, God forbid, Cameron does end up sterile, we would still have her eggs available and we could have a baby through in-vitro.  Of course, we’re not saying that we wouldn’t explore other avenues, such as surrogacy or adoption, but if the need arises, we’d like to try using her own eggs first and see if that succeeds.”

            Liam nodded.  “Your mam and I talked about this, and we agree, this is a good option.”  He turned to Sue.  “Like Chris said, the science is there so why not take advantage of it?  This is important to them, and, knowing them, they’ve already discussed all the risks and rewards amongst themselves and Cam’s doctors.  Of course, we’re hoping none of this,” he gestured towards the papers scattered all over the coffee table, “will be necessary once her cancer treatments are over but it’s much better to be safe than sorry.”  He looked back over to Cam and Chris.  “So when will you have your eggs harvested, my girl?  And when are you scheduled to start chemo?”

            “Uh, about that,” Cam said sheepishly.  She proceeded to explain to her father and Sue about the medications she had to take and the nightly injections she needed to prepare for the harvesting of her eggs.  Sue winced upon hearing about the injections but Liam looked a little shell shocked.

            “So you can’t start chemo yet, darlin’?” Liam asked, concern written all over his face.  “But I thought you said the Shapiros told you that you were borderline Stage 3 and you needed to start treatment right away?”

            “I did, Da, but this has to be done first.  I can’t take the fertility drugs and the chemo drugs at the same time.”

            Chris addressed his future father-in-law.  “Cam will be able to start the chemo in less than three weeks, Liam.  Dr. Rob is confident that even if Cam enters Stage 3 while she’s doing the fertility treatments, the chemo drugs he’s considering giving her will be strong enough to stop to cancer’s progress pretty quickly.  She’ll be monitored closely for the first few weeks and she’ll go in for chemo five days a week.  Once they’re sure the drugs have kicked in and the cancer hasn’t spread, they’ll scale her back to three sessions a week.  Since we’re going to be up in Boston by then, Dr. Rob said he’ll come up a couple of times a week and oversee her treatments until she gets scaled back.”  Chris paused as he pulled Cameron tighter against him.  “Liam, I know you’re worried.  This is your baby girl we’re talking about.  But believe me when I tell you, I’m worried, too.  Cam’s my whole life.  I would never agree to anything that would put her life in jeopardy.  Dr. David and Dr. Rob think this will work out but they are going to be super cautious and hyper-vigilant about her treatment.  Honestly, I can’t ask for more than that.”

            Liam nodded slowly.  “The Shapiros are excellent doctors and they’ve known Cameron almost her whole life.  They are not just our doctors, they’re our friends.  They have her best interests at heart.  I trust them.  I’m glad that you do, too.”  He smiled.  “Besides, I would love nothing more than to have a beautiful bouncing baby Evans on my knee someday.”

            “God willing,” Cam said quietly as she relaxed against Chris.  She hadn’t realized how stiffly she’d been sitting during her conversation with Liam and Sue.

            “Well, since we are on the subject of your illness, Cam, we have some things we need to discuss.  That’s why Liam and I just popped in unannounced,” Sue said quietly.  As she spoke, they heard the rumble of the wheels of the cart Nigel used to bring food and drink from the main house to the library.  They tabled the discussion while Nigel prepared coffee for them and set out the pastries he’d brought with him.

            “Will there be anything else, Miss Cameron?  Shall I set two more places for dinner?”

            Cam looked at her dad and Sue.  “Would you guys like to stay for dinner?”

            “I can’t, honey.  I have a dinner meeting with another client, but thanks for the invite.”

            “I won’t be staying, either, my girl.  Your mam is expecting me for dinner with her and the kids.”

            “Okay, no problem.  We’re good here, Nigel, thanks so much.”

            The butler gave a slight bow.  “I’ll come back for the cart later on, Miss.”  He turned and left the library.

            “So,” Cam said after she took a sip of her coffee, “what did you guys want to discuss?”

            Liam and Sue looked at each other then faced Chris and Cameron.  “Sweetie, we need to make an announcement about your illness,” Sue said.

            “And we need to discuss making, uh, certain changes to your…er…finances and to your…”  Liam sighed and swiped his face with his hand.  He gave Sue a helpless look.

            “Sweetie, what your dad is trying to say is that we need to talk about making changes to your will.”

            Cam recoiled.  This was the equivalent of being hit by a one-two punch.  Doing press had never been her favorite thing on the planet.  But they wanted her to make an announcement about her illness?  And, Jesus fuck, what the hell was that about her will?  “You want me to make an _announcement_ about having breast cancer?  And, you’re asking me to update my _will_?  You’re kidding me with this, right?”

            Liam had the good grace to blush.  “Darlin’, hear us out.  Everything is fine for now.  You look good.  You’re feeling good, too, eh?  You look as strong and healthy as you ever have.  But what’s going to happen when you are photographed coming to and from the hospital?  When you start showing the effects of the chemotherapy?  When you start losing weight and, please, God forbid, you start losing your hair?  Do you want the papers to jump to some outlandish conclusion – ‘Cameron Kennedy hiding secret drug addiction!’ ‘Cameron Kennedy drinking herself to death!’ ‘Why does Cameron Kennedy look so sick while her boyfriend Chris Evans is the very picture of health?’  Do you want to see such ridiculous headlines and lies splashed across all of those disreputable tabloids here and in Europe?  Around the world?”

            “That’s what’s going to happen if you don’t head them off at the pass, Cam,” Sue said, picking up the thread from Liam.  “If you’re upfront about what’s going on, if you tell the world about your illness – on _your_ terms, not theirs – you stand a better chance of avoiding the horror and the heartache those stupid tabloids can bring.  Sweetie, we both know how much you despise dealing with the press.  You and Chris both.  I know you two are much more comfortable with one on one interviews, and we can seek out a couple of outlets where you can each do one or two solo interviews and maybe one joint interview.  Then that will be the end of it.  The press outlets will be told that neither of you will discuss Cam’s condition further unless you _choose_ to and that updates on your health will come from me and me alone.  We can try to take control of this situation while we can.  If we keep quiet about it and photos start popping up like Liam said, then it will get away from us and there will be no controlling the vicious rumors and lies that will get spread.  I’ve seen it happen, sweetie.  It can be devastating.  You are going to have enough to worry about.  Let’s not add a shit storm of negative press to your already overflowing plate.”

            “Oh, God,” Cam said as she put her coffee cup down on the table with a trembling hand.  “I guess I was so wrapped up with everything that’s going on, I didn’t really give the press stuff much thought.”

            “Well, Cam, that _is_ what you pay me for,” Sue said gently.

            “Yeah, of course, you’re right.”  Cam sighed and turned to a very quiet, very tense Chris.  “What do you think, _a ghra_?”

            “Yeah, it pisses me off to no end but I have to agree with Sue and Liam, babe.  If we control what information is given, plus the who and where we give it to, how much crap can the tabloids print?  We’ll have beaten them to the punch.  Plus, the general public – your fans – will understand why you’re laying low for the next few months.”

            “You’ll get sympathy instead of speculation, my girl.  It’s really the only way to do this.  You must know how much it pains me to say that.  Sue and I have always been careful about the media’s access to you.  It goes against everything we’ve ever done to be the ones who are putting you out there for the whole world to see and hear that you are ill.”  Liam sighed again, his face suddenly pale.

            “Okay, okay, I get what you’re saying about that.  But what was that about my will?  You can’t…I mean, what…Jesus Christ, are you really serious about that?”

            “Cameron, my sweet girl, please don’t take this the wrong way.  I am your father, and Sue has been with us since you were a wee girl, so you must know that we don’t mean you any harm by telling you this.  But you do have an illness.  You are sick.  God willing, it’s been caught early enough that the drugs and the surgery and the radiation will eradicate any trace of the cancer and you will continue to live a long and healthy life but your circumstances have changed, darlin’.  In addition to being ill, you also now have Christopher to consider as your life partner and not just your friend.  And it wouldn’t hurt to think about making provisions now for any future children you may have.  Of course, that last thing you will change as your family grows.  And I know you’re going to want to make provisions for little Gio, as well.  You’ve already made bequeaths to Gia and Josh but you’re going to want to change Christopher’s to reflect his new status in your life.”

            “Wait, what?  Back up a second,” Chris said, surprise in his voice.  He turned to look at Cameron.  “I’m in your will?”  She nodded absently, her mind still on the things her father just said.  “Since when?”

            She looked up at Chris.  “Since 2006.  I review my will every year around my birthday, in case it needs updating or something.  We’d already been friends for almost a year and you had become as important to me as Josh and Gia so I added you as one of my beneficiaries.”

            “How come you never told me?”

            She gave him a brief smile.  “I’ve never told Josh or Gia, either.  It’s not that I was afraid you guys were gonna off me for my money or anything.  I just never felt the need to tell you that I was going to leave you something if I…died.  You would each get some money, of course, but most importantly, you would get something of mine that would always remind you of me.”  She shrugged then looked at her father.  “Thanks for letting that particular cat out of the bag, Da.”

            Liam gave her a sheepish look.  “Apologies, my girl.”

            Cam smirked at her father then turned her attention back to Chris.  “I was going to give you an ‘upgrade,’ if you will, when I reviewed the will again this June.  I guess,” she said, her voice lowering in volume until it almost sounded like she was talking to herself, “it makes sense to make sure you’re taken care of now as my domestic partner.”  She shuddered.  “Wow,” her voice returning to normal volume, “this is worse than the press conversation.  This just…” she trailed off, her eyes looking past Chris to something only she could see.  Chris, Liam and Sue looked at each other warily.

            Cam sat quietly as she considered everything Liam, Sue, and Chris said.  She felt cold despite the warmth of the still burning fire and Chris’ arm where it lay draped across her shoulders.  Suddenly, it all hit home.  Hard.  She had a disease that was responsible for the death of someone in her family and that, despite her and her doctors’ best efforts, could spread, or one day recur, and kill her.  She thought she had been coming to terms with the diagnosis, accepting it, making peace with it, but she was wrong.  She was as far from acceptance as one could possibly get. 

            Abruptly, Cam stood up and stepped away from the sofa.  She walked over to the spiral staircase and just stood there, her back to the room, her hands wrapped around the stair rail.  She felt…nothing.  It was as though she had a vacuum where there had recently been a heart and a soul.  It was a numbness that was truly frightening in its totality; a black hole she may never be able to climb out of.  Talking about the cancer with her family and Chris’, discussing treatment options and medical procedures with her doctors, making plans to continue her treatments in Boston and London were one thing, but announcing it to the world?  And changing her will so that Chris, her family, his family, Josh and Gia and their families were provided for?  That made it completely and totally real.  She had breast cancer.  This was a _thing_.  This was happening.  And it was happening to her.

 


	3. A Crash Course on the Five Stages of Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron tries to figure out how to deal with her new reality; a frustrated Chris turns to a very important person for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for the delay but my life has been a bit topsy turvy lately. I'm trying to get my business off the ground (and that's going soooo well - not), my brother was hospitalized with congestive heart failure and kidney issues (he's still in the hospital, unfortunately) so that left me solely in charge of the care and feeding of our elderly mother, and I'm just bouncing off walls in general. That all didn't leave much time for writing but I'm making an effort, as writing (and crocheting) give me plenty of much needed peace.

            Chris wasn’t quite sure how to react when Cameron abruptly stood up and walked away from him, her dad and her publicist, Sue.  He knew that she’d been having a hard time coming to terms with her cancer diagnosis – he was having a tough time dealing with it, too – but it wasn’t until Liam and Sue started talking about announcing it to the press and – dear God – changing her will that it all of a sudden became completely concrete…and like concrete, it settled heavily in every part of his being.  If this was how he felt about it, he could only imagine how it must have just hit Cameron.

            The three of them watched her warily as she stood, still as a statue, at the bottom of the spiral staircase, gripping the handrail so hard that they could plainly see how white her knuckles were.

            “Cameron…” Liam began but was cut off by the sharp shake of her head.

            “May I have the room, please?” she said quietly.

            “Sweetie, we can just talk…” Sue started.

            “I said, may I have the room, please?” Cam said sharply, her brogue heavy and pronounced.  It was obvious that she was now truly angry.  It was a side of her that Chris had rarely seen.

            “We’re gonna go hang out in the kitchen, babe.  Join us whenever you’re ready,” Chris said while he gestured to Liam and Sue as he rose from his spot on the sofa.  Liam looked torn about leaving his daughter in such obvious distress but he nodded at Chris and ushered a surprised looking Sue out of the library.  She’d never heard Cameron speak to anyone like that before.  Chris followed them to the doorway then turned and said softly, “I love you, Cam.”  He watched as she hung her head, her hands going up to her face.

            “And I you, _mo ghra_.” Her voice was thick with tears.

            Chris fought back tears of his own as he turned and left the library.  His arms ached to hold her, to soothe away the anger, devastation and horror she had to be feeling at that moment but he loved and respected her enough to do as she asked.  He followed Liam and Sue in to the main house, where he called for Nigel.  The butler appeared immediately.  “We’re going to need a lot more coffee, Nige,” he said with a sigh.

 

            Cameron stood where she was for a few minutes longer then started up the spiral staircase to the mezzanine.  She walked along the wall of bookcases, heading to the one that was situated next to the window.  She ran her fingertips gently across the spines of the books on the middle shelf until she came to the one she was looking for, the one she’d purchased years ago for a humanities class she’d taken as an undergrad at Juilliard.  She pulled it out and stared at the cover.  _On Death and Dying_ by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.  She sighed as she held the book to her chest.  She stepped over to the small table in front of the window, pulled out the chair and sat down.  She’d spent many an hour up here with her laptop and her notes as she wrote her dissertation for her first Ph.D. from NYU.  She was well into the writing of her dissertation for her second Ph.D., the one she hoped to earn from Juilliard next spring – should she live so long.  She placed the book on the table, opened it and began to read.

 

            “Liam, I really hate to leave like this, what with Cameron so upset, but I can’t afford to cancel on my client this evening.  We’ve already rescheduled this dinner twice…”

            “Sue, come now, you have business to attend to.  No one is going to begrudge you that, my dear.  Go on, it’s all right.  Chris and I will wait Cameron out.  It’s been well over ninety minutes already.  God knows how long it will be before she decides to leave the library.”

            “I’m so sorry, Liam,” Sue said as she gathered up her purse and briefcase.  “I’ll give you a call later tonight, okay?  When Cam’s ready to talk to me, I’m sure I’ll get a call.”

            “Of course, dear.  No worries.  Nigel?” Liam looked over to the butler.  “Would you be so kind as to go hail a cab for Ms. Bradshaw?”

            “Certainly, sir,” Nigel said.  He left the room.

            Sue gave Chris an apologetic look.  “I really wish I could stay.  I’m so worried about Cameron.  You’ll call me if anything…?”

            Chris stepped over to Sue and gave her a hug.  “We’re all worried.  This is huge for her…for all of us, really.  I’ll make sure she gives you a call when she comes up for air, promise.”

            Sue gave him a hard squeeze.  “I’m glad she has you, Chris.  You’re so good for her,” she murmured in his ear then pulled away.  “I’d better head out.”

            “I’ll walk you out, Sue,” Liam said as he held his arm out to her.  She slid her arm through his and they left the kitchen.

            Chris slowly walked over to the breakfast nook and picked up his coffee cup.  He stared at the cold dregs of his coffee and debated if he wanted another cup or not.  He’d already had three.  He shook his head.  That should be enough; he was already starting to feel really jittery.  He took his cup over to the sink, dumped its contents, rinsed it and put it into the dishwasher.  Now what?  He wasn’t a fan of feeling both so useless and so out of sorts.  It was going on two hours since Cam had asked everyone to leave the library.  What the hell was she doing?  He thought about going into the dining room, the back wall of which had windows that faced the library.  Maybe he could catch a glimpse of her that way.  But, given the mood she was in, spying on her would probably not go over too well.  Damn it!  All he wanted to do was help her, be there for her.  He slammed his fist against the countertop.  With a deep, aggravated sigh, he reached into his pocket and yanked out his phone.  There was only one person he could speak to that could help him figure out what to do.  He hit speed dial.

            In Boston, Lisa Evans had just put the roast she was making into the oven when the phone rang.  She stepped over to the kitchen extension and checked the caller ID.  A huge smile broke across her face as she reached for the receiver.  “Hi, honey, how are you?”

            “Hey, Ma, I’m hanging in there.  You?”

            “Better now that I’m hearing from you.  How’s Cameron?  She holding up okay?”

            “No.  No, she’s not and that’s why I’m calling you.”

            “Oh, God, Chris, what’s wrong?  What happened?”

            “Her dad and her publicist came over this afternoon to talk to her about making an announcement about her illness, as a preemptive strike against the tabloids and all those other rags that might start publishing bullshit stories once they see her losing weight and stuff.”

            “Hmm.  Actually, honey, that doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.  It makes sense to try to beat them to the punch.  Make the story yours and not theirs.”

            “I agree, and so does Cameron.  She saw the wisdom in what they were saying.  I mean, it sucks that we have to even go that route but it’s really the best way to try to keep the heartache the press can cause to a minimum.  But that wasn’t the only thing they wanted to talk about.  They wanted to discuss Cameron changing her will…just in case.”

            “Oh, Chris, no.  Oh, sweet Jesus, that would send anyone over the edge.  How did Cameron take that?”

            “Not well.  The press thing had already stuck in her craw but talking about the will really sent her over the edge.  It really brought home that this is all…real.  It’s happening.  These last few days haven’t been easy for Cam but it looked like she was starting to get a handle on things.  I know that I’ve been struggling with her diagnosis and what it could mean for her…and for me.  And I will admit that I woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday in tears; I’d dreamt that I had to choose a dress for Cam to be buried in.  What twenty-eight year old man dreams about choosing a dress for his twenty-four year old girlfriend to be buried in?  Still, it was a dream, you know?  It wasn’t grounded in reality, at least not at that moment.  But hearing Liam and Sue talk about how Cameron should make changes to her will now and how she should change the bequest she’d already made for me since I’m now her domestic partner…God, Ma, that was tough to hear, tougher than I could have ever imagined.”

            “Oh, honey, that must have been devastating for Cameron.  If that didn’t bring home the fact that she is facing a life-threatening disease, I don’t know what would.  But, Chris, what was that about changing a bequest…?”  Lisa paused then asked, “Does Cameron already have you in her will?”

            “Yeah.  She put me in her will in 2006.  She has Josh and Gia in it too.  She’s just never said anything to anyone.”

            “You didn’t know?  Josh and Gia don’t know?”

            “Nope.”

            “Wow, that’s kind of mind blowing.  Must have come as a total shock to you.”

            “It did…and it kind of made things worse, for me, at least.  I mean, I don’t want to think of myself as her beneficiary…as her widower.  Do you know what I mean?”

            “Yeah, sweetie, I do.  Like you said, thinking about having to change her will right now, as opposed to her choosing to do it of her own volition, makes the situation that much more, what’s the word…urgent?  Tangible?  Makes all of this a terrible reality.  Chris, you need to prepare yourself for what’s to come.  Cameron is going to be going through what’s known as the five stages of grief.  That’s a theory developed by a psychiatrist named Elisabeth Kubler-Ross regarding the different stages a person goes through when mourning the loss of a loved one.  I did some research and reading this weekend, and I found that a similar theory has been developed for people diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  They go through their own stages of grief when coming to terms with their illness.”

            “You did some reading?” Chris asked, surprised.  “Why?”

            “Chris, honey, Cameron isn’t just your girlfriend, she’s like a daughter to me; always has been.  I love her.  She’s going through a terrible time in her life right now and I wanted to have some idea of what she’ll be facing.  How can I help her, especially when you guys come up here, if I have no understanding of what she’s dealing with?  Learning about those stages of grief will help me a great deal.  It’s especially important that you learn them, too, honey.  You’re going to need to be aware of what she’s feeling more than anyone.”

            “What are the stages?”

            “The first is denial and shock.  Second, anger and rage.  Third, stress and depression.  Fourth, grief and fear.  Fifth, acceptance and adjustment which then typically leads to fight and hope.  You should Google ‘stages of grief for cancer patients’ and read up on the explanations of all the different stages.  It’s definitely something you need to know.”

            “Well, after today, I think it’s safe to say we might be past the denial and shock stage.  When she told us to leave her alone this afternoon, she sounded pretty pissed off.”

            “Well, from what I read, the stages don’t always follow in a linear fashion.  People go back and forth among the stages all the time.  Dealing with a life-threatening illness is not something one takes in stride, sweetie, nor do the patient’s emotions follow a script.  This is going to be a roller coaster ride and you need to be prepared for it.  And, sweetheart, I know this is going to sound harsh, but you’re going to need to prepare yourself for one other thing.”

            Chris knew where she was going with that thought.  “Mom, I…can’t.  I can’t think of her not…being here.  Of her not surviving this.  I just can’t do it, Mom.”

            “Chris, you’re going to have to give it some thought.  You’re going to have to stop and think, ‘what if’?  You’re going to have to prepare for the possibility that she might not make it.  I realize all the signs point to her making a full recovery but there’s always that ‘what if’ lurking, you know?  You just need to think about it, sweetie, that’s all I’m saying.”

            “Jesus,” Chris muttered, “this is so not fair.  It’s not fair to her, it’s not fair to those of us who love her.”

            “Catastrophic illnesses don’t play fair, sweetheart.  Their victims are totally random and most often, undeserving of such punishment.  You’ve seen the kids at St. Jude’s and some of the children that Cameron has granted wishes to through the Make-A-Wish foundation.  Is it fair that they are so ill?”

            Chris felt his face flush in shame.  His mother, like Cameron, always could rein him in and reset his priorities and emotions.  “No, it’s not fair.  I’ve always found those kids to be an inspiration.”

            “Well,” Lisa said gently, “maybe you can remind Cameron of that when she’s feeling low.  You have to let her go through her stages, sweetie, but you also have to remind her she’s got a lot to fight for.  She has her family and Josh and Gia and your little godson, Gio.  She’s got her music.  She’s got a big movie career ahead of her; she’s told me how excited she is about playing the Black Widow alongside you and Robert Downey Jr.  But most of all, she has you and the life you two have started planning.  Don’t let her forget that.”

            “I won’t, Ma, I won’t.  I’m glad I talked to you.  I wouldn’t have known about those stages of grief.  I’ll look it up now while I wait for her to come out of hiding.  She’s been in the library for a couple of hours now.  Like I said, she asked us to leave and she wasn’t very nice about it.  I would imagine she’s trying to work shit out but I’m getting worried.  Should I go in there and talk to her?”

            “No, sweetie, give her her space for now.  I know it’s tough – I know how much you love her and how much you want to help her and look after her but don’t crowd her…unless she asks for it, of course.  Don’t be surprised if she gets clingy with you every now and then.  You’re her lifeline.”

            “Yeah, her port in the storm.  That’s what she always tells me.  And I’m going to be that for her, always.”

            “I’m proud of you, Chris.  You’ve grown up to be a wonderful, generous, caring man with a big, beautiful heart.  That’s all any mother could ask for.”

            “Thanks, Mom.  You don’t know what that means to me.  I love you.”

            “I love you, too, sweetheart.  I’ve got to finish cooking so I’m going to let you go.  Call me whenever you need me, okay?  Take care of yourself, keep yourself healthy; you need to be there for Cameron.  And take care of her, she’s going to need you.”

            “Will do, Ma.  I’ll call you soon.  Give my love to the family.  Bye-bye.”

            “Bye, honey.”

            Chris ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.  He leaned against the counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his head hung low.  Although he came away from that call with his mother with so much more to think about, he did feel infinitely better.  He pushed away from the counter and stepped over to the little alcove where Cameron kept a laptop that she and Nigel used for looking up recipes and decorating ideas.  He smiled as he sat down and started typing into the search bar.  Cam and Nigel were forever swapping decorating ideas and he often found them huddled together in front of this very laptop, discussing their latest plans for doing _something_ to some room or another in the big townhouse.  If she went ahead and bought a house in Boston, he could only imagine the crazy adventures in interior decorating those two were going to have.  He only hoped she would be well enough and strong enough to do so.

 

            The library was eerily silent, save for the crackling of the flames in the fireplace.  The first floor was deserted; a quick look up to the mezzanine revealed Cameron seated at the little library table, head bent over a book.  No surprise there; the only thing she spent more time with than her violin and bow were her books.  “Knee deep in a book.  No wonder we haven’t seen hide nor hair of you for the past two hours.”

            Cameron started violently.  She popped up out of her chair and went to stand at the railing.  “Damn it, Da, do all the males in this family feel the need to practice their ninja skills on me?  First Chris, now you!”

            “Well, I’m sure Christopher will be thrilled to hear you lump him in with the rest of the Kennedy men.”

            Cam rolled her eyes.  “Please, he and Groban are as much Kennedys as Jeremy and Lucas.”

            “That they are.  And let’s not forget Gia.  She’s just as much a Kennedy as you are.”

            “No,” she sighed, “let’s not forget Gia.”  She rolled her shoulders wearily.  She’d barely looked up from her book from the moment she’d cracked it open and now her neck and shoulders were paying for her diligence.  “What are you doing here, Da?  I asked for the room, remember?”

            Liam strolled over to the sofa he’d been sitting on earlier and plopped down on it.  “I remember, darlin’, but that was almost two hours ago and your _leannán_ and I were getting worried.  Sue left a few minutes ago, she had a meeting she couldn’t miss.  Nigel and I put her in a cab but when I went back into the kitchen, where I’d left Chris, I found him on the phone with his mam.  He didn’t see me and I didn’t really want to interrupt him; the call sounded intense.  So, I came here to see if you were all right.  So, are you, my girl?  All right?”

            “Seriously, Da?  A couple of hours ago, you told me I needed to change my will, just in case.  I thought I was finally getting a handle on my cancer diagnosis but you telling me about changing my will really brought this whole ordeal into sharp relief.  I have an illness, Da, an illness that could kill me if the treatments don’t stop it from spreading or if it hasn’t been caught in time.  Every dream, every hope, every plan I’ve ever had has just come to a grinding halt.  My future, from this moment on, is predicated upon the hoped-for success of debilitating drug treatments, a surgery that could leave my body disfigured, and radiation therapy.  I may leave the man I love a widower before I even feckin’ marry him.  So, no, Da, I’m not all right.”  She turned away from the railing and stepped over to the table.  She picked up her book and stared at the cover for a few long moments.  Looks like she just bust right through to the anger stage, although she was still pretty shocked.  Tucking the book under her arm, she turned and made her way to the spiral staircase.  She slowly descended the steps, walked over to the sofa opposite the one her father occupied and sat down.  She met her father’s eyes and simply stared at him.

            “You have every right to be angry, my girl,” Liam said quietly.  “This insidious disease has no place in your life, in any of our lives, but it’s there.  Your sisters – hell, even your brothers – are in danger of developing cancer, just as you have.  I’m hoping against hope that none of them will ever have to go through what you’re facing, just as I hoped against hope last Thursday that you and Chris would come home and say that the Shapiro brothers got it wrong.  But they didn’t get it wrong.  You have cancer and, God willing, it’s still in the early stages and whatever you’re about to go through will eradicate it and you can resume chasing after those dreams and hopes and plans.  Take that anger you’re feelin’ and channel it into the thirst for life you’ve always had.  Take that anger and do exactly what Christopher said for you to do:  go kick cancer’s ass.”

            Liam paused as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and let his hands hang between his legs, never once taking his eyes from Cameron’s.  “But,” he continued, “take a moment to understand that we are all here on a temporary basis.  We’re all going to die someday.  One would hope that a beautiful young woman like you would grow to be a beautiful old woman who has lived a long and fulfilling life with a man who loves her and children and grandchildren and maybe even a great-grandchild or two who all clamor to spend time with their mam and their nana.  But, if that’s not the path that lies before you, if you’re to go to your glory much sooner than expected, celebrate the fact that you’ve seen and done and accomplished more in your twenty-five years on this earth than most people two or three times your age.  Cherish the fact that you had a chance to experience real, true, enduring love and you gave that same kind of love in return.  Take some comfort in the fact that your memory will live on in the hearts and souls of those of us who love you:  your mam and me, your siblings, Josh, Gia, Dominic, little Gio, and, most of all, Christopher.  We will mourn you but we will keep your spirit – and your good works – alive for as long as we continue to walk this earth, because we are all better for having had you in our lives.  Fight this, my girl, fight it with all you have, but don’t let the anger and bitterness over your situation poison you and feed the illness.  And, whatever you do, don’t lash out at the people closest to you, the ones who only want to help you through this and give you the love and support you need.  We’re in this with you, especially that amazing young man who’s waiting for you.”  Liam paused again.  “Fight, my girl, fight this, but, at the same time, make your peace with whatever you need to, prepare whatever needs to be left in order so that if you have to go to your glory, your mind is clear and there will be less worry for those you leave behind.”  He sat back.

            Cam continued to watch her father, who seemed to age a few years during the speech he just made to her.  Yes, she had a lot to deal with, but so did the people who loved her.  It was on her to prepare them for what lay ahead just as much as she had to prepare herself.  And Liam was right:  she had every reason to be angry, but she needed to channel that anger correctly.  The anger needed to be directed towards the cancer, not towards the people she loved and who loved her back.  There was a long road ahead of her, and there was a chance she wouldn’t see the end of it, but she needed to pave the way for all of them.  “I understand what you’re saying, Da.  And you’re right.  Things are going to be rough from here on out but I want to help prepare you all for what’s to come.”  She showed him the book she still held in her hands.  “I’m going to order a copy for each of you so you can all read it, at your own pace, and come to an understanding of what happens to each of you – and to me – as I fight through this…thing.  In the meantime, I’m going to walk you to the door since you have to go home and have dinner with Mam and the kids, then I’m going to go show that amazing young man of mine how much he means to me and how much I need his love to get through this.”

            Liam smiled at his eldest daughter as he stood up.  “No worries, my girl.  I’ll show myself out.  Go to him, darlin’.  He needs you as much as you need him.”

            Cam stood and rounded the coffee table.  She threw her arms around her father and they shared a long, tearful hug.  After many long moments, Liam pulled back and placed a gentle kiss on his daughter’s forehead.  “Goodnight, my darlin’.  Your mam and I will call you in the morning.”  He kissed her cheek, gave her a wink then turned and headed out to the loggia.  She watched through the library windows as Liam made his way back into the main house.  Once he was out of her sight, she turned and put out the flames in the fireplace.  She stood there, hand braced against the mantel as she stared at the cooling remains of the fire.  Things were going to be rough from here on out, just as she’d told her father a few moments ago.  Regardless of the conversation she’d just had with Liam, she knew and understood that she was still going to go through her own version of the “five stages of grief” and that she wasn’t always going to be the easiest person to live with.  It wasn’t easy being a twenty-four year old victim of breast cancer and there were going to be plenty of days when she was going to struggle with that reality.  And, knowing the people around her like she did, her struggle was going to become their struggle, because that’s who they were; they were going to carry the burden with her, whether she wanted them to or not. 

            She turned away from the fireplace and stepped over to the coffee table where she’d left her book.  She stared down at it.  The family, Josh, Gia and Dominic, and Chris, especially Chris, needed to read this book so they could gain some understanding as to what lay ahead.  And she needed to get real with herself about leaving things done so the people she loved wouldn’t have to suffer through picking up the pieces of the life she might leave behind.  She decided she would wait until Chris was asleep tonight then make notes to herself about the will.  She’ll call her lawyers in the morning, make an appointment to see them ASAP.  Then, she would sit down with Chris and give him a rundown as to what she wanted done for her funeral.  She’d have the same conversation with her parents.  It would be heartbreaking, but, as Liam pointed out, it was just one of the many things she need to have prepped and ready to go should her time come.  In the meantime, there was that very special someone who needed some very special attention.  She didn’t know what the chemo would do to her, and her libido, so she needed to give Chris as much good loving as she could before she got too sick to even think along those lines.  Cam sighed as she felt her emotions rise up, ready to overwhelm her again.  There was so much, so bloody much to think about and to do and to take care of.  She would have help, she knew that.  But there were some things that only she could do.  And those were the things she dreaded the most.  She sighed again and wiped the tears off her face.  She called on her usually formidable resolve to help her get it together.  Seducing Chris with a weepy face on wasn’t going to work for either of them.  She stood perfectly still and concentrated on calming her mind and her nerves.  After a few long minutes, she finally felt herself again.  She picked her book up off the coffee table and walked over to the door.  She turned and looked back at her library, her beloved little sanctuary, easily her favorite room in the whole house, well, next to her music room.  She smiled.  There would always be peace here and for that she was grateful.  Lord knows she was going to need plenty of peace in the coming weeks.  She turned, hit the light switches then headed through the loggia back to the house.  She needed to be with the man she loved.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that are still checking in and hanging in there, I sincerely thank you. Would you make my day, week, year, decade by leaving comments as to what you think of this series in general? Pretty please? Comments = love.
> 
> Cheers!


	4. Let's Cherish Every Moment We Have Been Given...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron makes love to Chris...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut, tastefully (I hope) done...

            Chris was so focused on the website he found about the stages of grief cancer victims experienced that he could be forgiven for the decidedly unmanly noise that came out of him when he felt the unexpected brush of slightly calloused fingertips on the back of his neck.  He whirled around on the stool and found Cameron standing behind him.  “What the hell was that sound you just made?  That was kind of…unnatural,” she said, visibly struggling to hold back a laugh.

            “Jesus H. Christ, babe, what was that – a little payback?  Who’s demonstrating their ninja skills now?”

            “Sorry, _a ghra_ , I should have announced myself but the urge to touch you was too great.”

            Chris relaxed and gave her a crooked grin.  “You felt the urge to touch me, huh?  What other kind of urges are you having?  Anything I should know about?  Or maybe even help you with?”  He spread his knees wide, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to stand in between his legs.  His grin widened as she brought her hands up and carded her fingers through his hair.  She lightly scratched his scalp and he shuddered.  “Apparently, we’re feeling a little less agitated?” he murmured as he nuzzled the underside of her jaw.

            “Less agitated and more…mmm, that’s lovely, Chris,” she whispered as he placed a kiss on her neck, just below her ear, one of her favorite “hot” spots.

            “More what, babe?” he said against her ear, his soft voice and warm breath causing a violent shiver to run down Cameron’s spine.  She could feel his smile as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

            “Well,” she said, her voice soft and breathy, “more…anxious, I suppose.”  She began trailing kisses along his cheek and down to his jaw.  She worked her way over to his earlobe, which she caught between her teeth and gently tugged.

            Chris groaned as Cam kissed her way down to the juncture where his neck and shoulder met and lightly sucked at the skin there.  It was clear to him that she had every intention of leaving a mark on him.  He had absolutely no problem with that.  He had plans to leave several marks of his own on various places on her luscious body.  “Hey, Cam?” he said softly.

            “Yes, love?”  She felt him wrap the long tail of her French braid around his hand and tug on it gently to bring her head back so she could face him.

            “Come here,” he said as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers.  Cam immediately parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss.  For a few long minutes, they shared a hot, languid kiss, their tongues mating slowly, sensuously until Cameron could no longer stand it.  She wanted Chris, no, she _needed_ Chris, right now.  She pulled away from his intoxicating mouth and whispered, “What say we take this upstairs and you let me have my wanton, wicked way with you?”

            Chris felt desire rush through him like a wildfire through a forest.  He wasn’t sure what had gotten her all hot and bothered during her time in the library but he sure as hell wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.  When he looked into her eyes and saw the depth of her need for him, he gave an involuntary shudder and muttered, “ _Fuck me_ , Cameron.  You planning on making good on your promise from this afternoon?”  The smile she gave him was nothing short of filthy.

            “Yes,” she answered quietly as she trailed her hands down the front of his Henley shirt and slid them into the waistband of his jeans.  “I’m going to make good on my promise, my beautiful, amazing Christopher, slowly…passionately…and repeatedly.  You game?”

            Chris couldn’t remember Cameron ever being as blatantly forward and overtly sexual as she was right now.  She was blowing his mind and his lust for her was quickly overwhelming him.  “Oh, my God, babe, I think you just fucking broke my brain.”

            “No worries.  It’s not your brain we’ll be needing.”  She took one hand out of his waistband and brought it down to rest against his straining erection.  He moaned.  “I see all the necessary parts appear to be in perfect working order.  Let’s get you out of those jeans before you hurt yourself, shall we?”  She laughed as Chris surged unsteadily to his feet then squealed as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.  “Good God,” she exclaimed with a giggle, “what a Neanderthal!”

            “Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”  He carried her out of the kitchen.

           

            Chris reached the second floor landing, Cameron still hanging over his broad shoulder, her musician’s hands tapping out a staccato tattoo on his sculpted ass.  As he walked towards their bedroom at the end of the hall, Nigel popped out of the guest bathroom, where the butler had been replacing towels and bath soaps.  Nigel stood stock still, trying – but not quite succeeding – to school his features into his normally placid, strict English butler façade.  As he passed, Chris smiled and winked at Nigel.  “Don’t wait up, Nige, my man!”

            When she caught sight of Nigel, Cameron just waved at him and said, “When you finish dinner, Nigel, just prepare two plates and leave ‘em in the fridge.  We’ll nuke them later if, you know, we ever make it back downstairs.  After you’re done with that, take the night off and do some damage to that Amex card I gave you ages ago that you seem terrified to use.  Go see a movie, hit a bar, do something!”  Chris had almost reached their room.  “You hear, Nige?”

            “Yes, Miss Cameron,” the butler responded, still rooted to the spot as he watched the young Mister haul the giggling Miss into their bedroom and slam the door shut behind them.  Nigel shook his head and finally allowed himself a small smile.  It was wonderful to see his lovely young employer in much better spirits.  Nigel knew he had the young Mister to thank for that.  They seemed to bring out the best in each other.  As he turned to go back downstairs, he realized that life with the future Mr. and Mrs. Evans was going to be _anything_ but dull.

 

            Chris walked over to the already turned down king size bed – bless you, Nigel – and gently dropped Cameron on it.  He moved to join her but she held up a hand to stop him.  “No, _a ghra_ , tonight is for you.  I want you to sit back, relax, and let me do all the work.”

            Chris stared down at her.  “Not that your plan doesn’t sound completely wonderful, but why, babe?  Why do you want to do this, be the one who wants to do all the work?”

            She smiled.  “There are a few reasons, like I want to thank you for being so truly wonderful to me all the time, and I want to show you how much I love you, and…we should really try to enjoy each other as much as we can…before the chemo kicks in and ruins everything.”  He watched as her smile dimmed slightly.  “I may not always be able to participate as much as I normally do when we make love in the coming months, Chris, so I thought that tonight I could…”  Chris cut off her words by laying a finger gently across her lips.

            “I shouldn’t have asked.  I don’t need a reason to allow the woman I adore to do whatever she wants to me.  I should just welcome it.  And I do,” he said with a grin as he spread his arms out to the side.  “Come on, sweetheart, do your worst!”

            Cam chuckled as she grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked him down on the bed next to her.  “Okay, you asked for it,” she said as she quickly pounced on him and straddled his thighs.  She reached for his belt and undid it then unbuttoned his jeans and slowly pulled down the zipper.  She took a moment to admire the thick bulge in his shorts before she grabbed the hem of his Henley and pulled it out of his jeans.  She brought the shirt up mid-chest then leisurely trailed her fingertips over his abs, enjoying the sensation of his muscles fluttering under her touch.  She went back to his shirt and began to tug it upwards.  “Sit up for me, my love, I want to get this off of you,” she said, her voice husky.  Chris did as she asked and held his arms up so she could pull the shirt off.  She tossed it to the floor and went back to running her hands over his newly bared chest as he rested his hands on her hips.  She pulled back when Chris leaned forward to kiss her.  “No, love, not yet.  I’m not quite done here,” she murmured as she climbed off his lap.

            Cam knelt before him and quickly removed his sneakers and socks.  She gave him a wink as she stood up and shoved lightly at his shoulders to make him lie back again.  She hooked her fingers into the waistbands of his jeans and underwear and started pulling them down.  “Lift up for me, _a ghra_ ,” she ordered softly.  He complied and she made quick work of removing the rest of his clothing.  Chris propped himself up on his elbows and watched as Cam stood perfectly still, staring down at him, her eyes slowly traveling a path from his legs all the way up to his eyes, her expressive face betraying everything she was feeling:  love, lust, pride…even awe.  “You are so amazing, _a ghra_ , better than even the marble sculptures of the ancient gods.  More beautiful than Michelangelo’s _David_ ; hell, even David doesn’t have that incredible V-shape thing you’ve got going on there.” She sighed softly then smiled.  “I see how women look at you when we walk down the street together; I see the looks they give me.  Most looks are like a thumb’s up; some are downright hateful but they all share one thing:  pure envy.  They envy me, and I don’t blame them one bit.  If they only knew what an absolute prince you are, besides being so gorgeous, I might have to start watching my back.”

            Chris was touched beyond reason but he kept his words light.  “I don’t know, babe, but I feel like you’re objectifying me.  Are you objectifying me?  I mean, you must be, seeing as I’m the only stark naked one here…”

            Cam grinned.  “If looking my fill at what the good Lord has blessed me with is objectifying you, then hell yeah, I’m guilty as sin and I will gladly burn for it.  But if you’re feeling a little left out, why don’t I give _you_ something to objectify?”  With that, she stepped back a couple of paces and brought her hands up to her waist.  She grasped her blouse and pulled it out of the waistband of her pants then reached up to slowly undo the buttons.  When she unbuttoned the last one, she left the blouse hanging open and brought her hands to the side zipper on her pants.  She made a show of unzipping them then wiggled her hips a little to make them slide down her legs.  She stepped out of them and her shoes and kicked everything over to join his pile of clothing on the floor.  She reached up again and grasped her blouse, teasingly baring one shoulder then the other before she peeled it off completely and tossed it at him.  Chris laughed as he caught it; he brought it up to his nose and inhaled deeply, loving the scent that was a mix of the vanilla soap and body products she used and something that was uniquely Cameron.  He could never get enough of the way she smelled. 

            Chris held on to her shirt for a moment longer as he watched her sway to whatever music was playing in her head.  He knew she had her own little soundtrack going through her mind while she acted out this little striptease – her eyes were closed and she had a small smile on her face.  Her innate musicality was something that always fascinated him, from the moment he first discovered that music was not just something she played, it was something she _was_.  She lived it, breathed it, it was a part of her.  He often caught her conducting music while doing the most mundane things around the house, like waiting for the pasta water to boil or when she was on a conference call with Liam and the other people on her team.  In fact, he was rather surprised that she didn’t put music on the minute they came into the room.  _Oh, wait,_ he thought as he watched her glide across the room towards the glass-front armoire where she kept the Bose music system, _spoke too soon._   She opened the armoire and squatted down, giving Chris a wonderful view of her spectacular backside.  She fiddled with the music player for a minute then adjusted the volume as Earth, Wind & Fire’s _Reasons_ poured out of the speakers she had all around the bedroom.  He smiled at her choice of music; they were both huge fans of EWF and their music was in constant play here at home, in both their cars, and even in his mom’s house in Boston.  They even got Liam to play EWF in his home…  Wait.  What the hell happened to Liam?  “Honey?” he called.

            Cam straightened up and closed the armoire.  She turned to Chris and smiled at the awesome picture he made, leaning back from the edge of their bed in all his delicious, naked glory.  “Yes, love?” she responded as she slowly made her way back to him.

            “Uh, what happened to your dad?  Last I saw him, he was walking Sue out to get a cab.”

            “Da came to see me in the library.  Patience never has been his strongest suit.  He got tired of waiting for me to rejoin civilization.  He said he stopped by the kitchen but heard you on the phone with your mam so he chose not to disturb you.  He came to disturb me instead.”  Cam halted in front of Chris.  “He and I had a good talk; well, he mostly talked and I did a lot of listening and soul-searching.  He made some very excellent points, I came to some important conclusions, and we hugged it out then he left.  You and I will further discuss what Da and I spoke about but one of the conclusions I came to was…I love you and I need you and I most certainly want you.  As far as I’m concerned, we still have a lot of lost time to make up for – after all, I could have been shagging you for years rather than just the past few months if I’d been a little less stubborn – but I want to give you a lot to…dream on, if you will, to make up for those nights in the very near future when I probably won’t be able to do anything more than kiss you goodnight.”

            Chris sat up and reached out to Cam.  She drew closer and stood between his legs as he placed his hands on her soft thighs and trailed them up to her waist.  “Baby, you don’t have to go out of your way to do anything special for me.  I was there for the discussion about chemo and its nastier side effects, remember?  While this isn’t something we would have ever planned on, being with you, being your best friend, your boyfriend, your lover – and one day, your husband – means that I’ve signed up to be there with you through everything.  And I mean everything.  If you’re too sick from the chemo to make love, I’ll understand, babe.  You and I aren’t just about sex, sweetheart, although making love with you is really out of this world.  You and I are about all the things that come with loving someone.  Sex is just a part of it.  When you’re so weak that you need help getting to the bathroom, I’ll carry you there.  I’ll even wipe your bottom if you need me to.  If you’re too weak to sit up and eat, I’ll prop you up with pillows and spoon feed you chicken soup.  If you’re cold, I’ll keep you warm.  If something hurts, I’ll rub it for you.  If you need to cry, you’ll have both my shoulders.  I will be there for you, and I will take care of you.  If our places were reversed, I know you’d do the same for me.”

            Cam’s eyes filled with tears.  “In a heartbeat, _a ghra_.  There isn’t anything I would not do for you.”

            Chris gave her a gentle smile as he brushed the back of his fingers across her exquisite cheekbone.  “Ditto,” he said softly.

            Cam placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in to cover his mouth with hers.  The kiss started out soft and gentle but the overwhelming desire they’d ignited in each other downstairs quickly reappeared and the kiss turned hot and passionate.  After a few long, lovely moments, Cam pulled away and whispered, “Lay back onto the pillows, love of my life, and let me blow your mind.”  Chris immediately complied and waited eagerly for Cameron to join him.  She gave him a saucy wink and smile as she reached up and undid the front closure on her bra and uncovered her lovely full breasts to his view.  She stripped off the bra and tossed it onto the pile of clothes on the floor.  She then hooked her thumbs into her panties…and paused.  Chris had to fight to keep from whining out loud.  She caught his look and grinned wickedly.  “Should I take them off now or leave them on?” she wondered aloud.

            Chris had to clear his throat a couple of times before he could answer her.  “Well, sweetheart, you’ve gotten this far…”

            “You’ve got a point, _a ghra_ ,” she said, a little bit of Irish creeping into her voice.  Now Chris really had to fight to keep his cool.  That brogue had done him in on more than one occasion.  It was one of the sexiest things about her.  Thank God it tended to appear when she was very aroused.  He watched as she shoved her panties down her legs and stepped out of them.  “Now,” she murmured as she climbed onto the bed and made her way to him on all fours, “where should I start?  Maybe a repeat of our little interlude in the library?  Or,” she straddled his lower legs as she slowly ran her hands up his thighs, over his hips and brought them to rest on his firmly muscled abdomen, “maybe I should…”  She let her words trail off as she brought one hand down to wrap around his straining, weeping member.  She moved her hand up and ran her palm across his head, smearing his pre-cum on her palm.  She once again wrapped her hand around him and, using the pre-cum as lube, she began to pump him, slowly, steadily, her eyes intent on what she was doing and never once looking up to see the look of sheer pleasure on Chris’ face.

            “Oh, God, sweetheart, that feels incredible,” he ground out as she continued to work him.

            “Feels good, yeah?” she said softly, her eyes finally coming up to meet his.  “Maybe this will feel better?”  She let him go and pulled herself up so that her warm, wet center sat squarely on his throbbing erection.  She moved her hips slowly, first back and forth, then side to side, and finally in a circular motion, making sure to keep constant pressure on him so he could feel every movement.  “How’s that, _a ghra_?”

            “Oh, fuck, Cam, you feel so amazing, sweetheart, so hot, so wet.”

            “Yeah?  What else would feel amazing, love?  Tell me.  Tonight is about pleasuring you.  Tell me what you’d like me to do to you.”

            “Shit, Cam, anything, anything you can think of!  I’ll love it all.”

            “Why?” she asked as she slid her hands up his stomach towards his pecs.

            “Because no one knows how to love me like you do, babe.  No one…”

            Cam circled his nipples with the tips of her fingers, smiling as she watched goosebumps rise along the skin of his chest and arms.  As she continued to grind against him, she moved her hands to his biceps and lowered her upper body to his.  She brought her mouth to one nipple and closed her lips around it.  She suckled him for a few moments, reveling in the moans that came from deep within his chest.  She pulled her mouth away enough to blow on the wet skin and watched the nipple pucker.  She ran her tongue along his chest until she reached his other nipple, where she repeated the same actions.  She kissed her way up to the juncture of his neck and shoulder and opened her mouth to cover the light mark she’d left on him earlier.  She nipped the skin then sucked at it harder than before, all the while grinding harder and harder against him.  She could feel her own core tightening up but she was determined to bring him off before finding her own pleasure.  Tough job since sometimes all he had to do was kiss in a certain way and she was gone.

            She gentled her mouth against his skin then slowly trailed her lips and tongue along his collarbone and back down to his pecs.  She proceeded to run her hot, open mouth along every inch of his skin she could reach, loving the way his muscles rippled beneath her lips and hands and feeling, more than hearing, the heavy groans that came from deep within his chest.  She worked her way up to his face and took his mouth in a deep, searing kiss that set them both aflame.  When she finally pulled away, she sat up and asked, “What would you like me to do now, love?  Tell me how you would have me please you.”

            Chris lay there, his face and chest flushed, his breath hitching.  “I want you to ride me, babe.  I want you to fuck me into the mattress.  And then, when we’re done with that, I’m going to take my pleasure by fucking you into the mattress.  That’s part of how you’re going to please me tonight.”

            “Well now,” she drawled, her brogue thickening, “that sounds like a lovely, well thought out plan, _a ghra_.  Let the games begin.”  She rose up to her knees then reached down to grasp his swollen, pulsating member, positioning him right at her entrance.  She teased them both by dragging his head back and forth along her slick folds then, with agonizing slowness, she lowered herself onto him, inch by precious inch.  She watched as Chris shuddered and fought to maintain his composure as she sank down on him, his hands grasping her thighs so tightly that she knew she’d be sporting finger shaped bruises for the rest of the week.  When she was finally fully seated against him, she held still for a long moment as her body adjusted to both his length and his girth.  He filled her completely and what a wonderful feeling that was.

            She began to move, rising up until nothing but the tip was inside her then slowly coming down.  Cam kept up this torturous pace for many long moments, delighting in the enjoyment she saw on Chris’ face.  She rotated her hips a couple of times and was rewarded with a low wanton moan.  She leaned forward a bit and braced her hands on either side of his torso as she stepped up her pace.  He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath at the change in angle, grabbing at her hip with one hand to help keep her pace steady, and she bit back a cry of pleasure as his shaft now dragged across her swollen clit with every stroke.  She lifted one hand off the bed and reached for his where it still gripped her thigh.  With a little effort, she managed to pry his hand off her leg and brought it between their bodies.  Chris’ eyes popped open and he looked down to see what she was up to.  “Would it please you to help me along, _mo ghra_?” she asked as she brought his fingers to her clit.

            Chris gave her a wolfish smile.  “Nothing would please me more, sweetheart.”  He curled his fingers against her swollen flesh and Cameron exhaled sharply.  “You like that, babe?” he asked.

            “I think you know the answer to that, my love,” she gasped out as she began to slap her hips against his.  “The question is, do _you_ like it?”

            “Christ, babe, do you even have to ask?” he grunted.  “I could get off by just watching you.”  He hissed as he felt the pressure mount in his lower belly.  “You always look so fucking beautiful when we make love but you look especially good right now.  Come for me, baby, come for me now – _that_ would really please me.”

            “Uh uh,” she panted out, “you first.  This is your night, it has to be you first.”  She gasped when she felt him push his fingers against her clit.  “Hey, not fair!  What did I just say?  _You_ – oh sweet Jesus – _first!_ ”  She brought herself up into her original position to ease the delightful friction against her clit.  She was determined to make him come first.  She rotated her hips again then ground down hard against him, gratified to hear his hoarse shout of surprise and delight.  He reached out for her and she grabbed his hands in hers.  She undulated against him, delighting in the look of sheer bliss that crossed his gorgeous features over and over again.  She braced herself against his hands and raised herself up until there was nothing left of him inside her but the very tip of his shaft then she slammed down against him.  She laughed when she heard him shout out, “Oh, God, _fuck_ me!” 

            Despite her best efforts to hold back until he broke first, Cam could feel her body preparing itself for what promised to be a ferocious release.  Without warning, Chris sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist.  He held her tightly as he kissed her, their tongues mimicking the frenzied movements of their bodies.  They rocked against each other then he tore his mouth away from hers as his body was seized by an intensely powerful climax.  “Oh, my God,” he cried out hoarsely, his head thrown back, his eyes tightly shut, “Cameron, oh God, Cameron!”

            She smiled as she watched him convulse in pleasure for a few moments before she finally allowed her own body to explode in one of the fiercest orgasms she’d ever experienced.  Pleasure knifed through her like a bolt of lightning as she arched back deeply.  She was robbed of her breath, her speech, and her ability to think.  All she could do was feel, and that was plenty amazing.  She never realized that withholding her own pleasure until he reached his could be so gratifying and so powerful.  Utterly spent, she collapsed against him as he lowered them both to the mattress.  They laid there for what seemed like an eternity, fighting to regain their breath, their bodies still intimately joined and shuddering from the after-effects of their mind-blowing climaxes.

            Eventually, Cameron felt her brain go back online.  She rubbed her cheek against the hair on Chris’ chest then slid off his body to land on the bed next to him.  She felt sated and boneless and was the happiest she’d been since receiving her cancer diagnosis.  Loving Chris simply did wonderful things for her body, mind, heart, and soul.

            Chris turned his head to look at her.  “Hey,” he said softly, “you okay?”

            “ _Is ea, mo ghra_.”  She rolled her eyes at herself and chuckled.  “Yes, my love, I’m feeling rather fantastic right now.”  She turned onto her side and leaned over to brush a gentle kiss on his lips.  “How are you doing?”

            “Babe, that might not have been the most energetic lovemaking session we’ve ever had…but it was still amazing and perfect all the same.  I am totally good.”  He smiled at her.  “You look really happy, sweetheart.  That alone makes my night.”

            She sighed happily.  “You are so utterly wonderful, Christopher Robert.  What did I ever do to deserve you?”

            He grinned as he rolled onto his side so he could face her.  “I could say the same about you, my love.”  He reached out and trailed his fingers along her cheek and jaw.  “I know today was tough for you, babe.  I was worried that we were heading towards a really bad night.  But you seem so much more relaxed now.  What happened during your talk with your dad?  You came back from the library in a totally different mood.”  He chuckled.  “Lucky me.”

            She shook her head slightly.  “No, _mo ghra_ , lucky me.”  She kissed him again then went into his embrace and snuggled into his side, her head tucked into the crook of his shoulder.  “Thanks to my amazing da’s words of wisdom and love and compassion, I realized that I don’t want to die, quite frankly, but if it comes to that, I should realize that I’ve had more of a life in twenty-five years than most people have had in a lifetime and that I’ve been blessed many more times over than the average person.  I experienced life with a wonderful, supportive family and the best friends I could ever ask for, and I’ve experienced the kind of romantic love that just doesn’t come around every day.  I need to be thankful for all that I’ve seen and done and have achieved.  And it’s because of all these things that I need to make sure those who were there for me during every step of the journey that has been my life are taught to understand what is happening here and are taken care of once I’m gone, should my time actually come.”

            Chris tightened his arms around her.  “You’re not going to die, Cameron.  I won’t let you.”

            She chuckled softly and turned to press a kiss to his collarbone.  “I don’t think either of us is going to have much of a say in that, my love.  But I am going to fight with everything I am to beat this and stay here by your side.  Listening to everything my da said made me see things more clearly.  Getting mad at those around me isn’t going to help anything.  I also need to understand that you guys are gonna go through your own sad journey as you come to terms with what’s happening to me.  I am going to give everyone a copy of this book called _On Death and Dying_ and ask that you read it.  It will help you all try to come to terms with what we’re going to go through over the next few months.  It’s not light reading by any stretch of the imagination but it is important.”  She fell silent for a moment, enjoying, as always, the feel of Chris’ arms around her, the warmth of his body against hers, and the sound of his strong, steady heartbeat under her ear.  “I felt immeasurably better after my discussion with da, and I just…I just wanted to be with the one I love most in this world.”

            “I love you, too, Cam, so much.  We’re going to get through this and come out that much stronger and better for it.”

            She looked up at the love of her life.  “Oh, my love, I’m counting on it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saint Patrick's Day!


	5. The Show Must Go On... (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron makes her announcement and Chris stands by his woman...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

 

            In the end, the decision wound up being much easier than Cameron had anticipated.  If she was going to announce her illness to the world, who better to speak to than the Queen of All Media?  She’d appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show many times over the course of her career.  Oprah had been enchanted by little Cameron Kennedy’s enormous talent and phoned Liam herself to ask if she could have Cam on her talk show.  Cameron made her first appearance on the Oprah show in 1992 at the age of seven and charmed both host and audience alike with her virtuosity on both violin and piano and with the adorably blunt way she answered Oprah’s questions in her then-heavy brogue.  From that day on, Oprah championed the young prodigy, much like she would a young Josh Groban after he first appeared on her show ten years later.  So, it was decided – the broadcast interview would go to Oprah and the print interview to Cameron’s favorite magazine, _People Weekly_.  Liam lobbied for the interview to go to _Time_ magazine but Cam figured they’d come knocking eventually.  Her story would shed light once again on the issue of breast cancer, and the more serious news magazines such as _Time_ and _Newsweek_ would definitely come calling.  She would speak to them happily, anything to raise further awareness about this awful disease.

            So, exactly one week to the day that Cameron was diagnosed, she sat at her desk in the parlor, Chris, Liam and Isabella sharing the sofa that faced her – she wanted them there for moral support even though she knew Oprah would not just take her phone call but shower her with all kinds of love and words of encouragement.  She sighed, gave her family a small smile and placed the call to Oprah’s top secret private office phone.

            “Ms. Winfrey’s office, Andrew speaking, how may I help you?” answered Oprah’s executive assistant, a handsome young man that Cameron thought would be a good match with Chris’ brother Scott.  Hmm, she’d have to make some subtle inquiries when she saw him in Chicago…

            “Hiya, Andrew, it’s Cameron Kennedy.  How are you?”

            “Ms. Kennedy!  It’s good to hear your voice.  I’m fine, how have you been?”

            “Oh, I’ve been…good,” she lied as she rolled her eyes.  She flashed a grin at Chris’ small smirk.  “Um, Andrew, is Oprah available?  I just need to ask her something.  I promise I won’t keep her on long.”

            “You’re in luck.  She just got back to her office a few minutes ago and hasn’t gotten on the phone yet.  Hold on a moment and I’ll let her know you’re on the line.”

            “Great, thanks, Andrew.”  Cam leaned back in her chair and started drumming her fingers on her desk.  Seconds later, Oprah’s voice came on the line.  “Cam!  Girlfriend!  It’s been too long.  How are you, sweetie?  What have you been up to?”

            “Hey, O, I, uh, well, I’ve been kind of…busy, you know?”

            Oprah chuckled.  “If by busy you mean all wrapped up in your new relationship – which we all saw coming for ages now, girl – then I suppose you have been _immersed_!”

            Despite herself, Cam giggled.  “Yeah, you could definitely say that.  How’s Stedman?”

            “He’s wonderful, as always, girl.  He was just asking about you the other day, funnily enough.  Says he wants to meet Chris, size ‘im up, make sure he passes muster.  You know you’ve had Stedman wrapped around your finger since he first met you.  He’s still in awe of that time you sat down and chatted with him about global educational systems when you were all of, what, fourteen?”

            “I was twelve, actually.”  Both women chuckled.

            “So, it’s lovely to hear from you, Cam.  I have some time right now so I’d love to hear all about how you finally came to your senses and gave Chris a play.”

            How Cameron wished she could just giggle and gossip with the media mogul who’d turned into a good friend.  “Oh, uh, Oprah, I kind of have an ulterior motive for calling you.  I mean, yes, I love chatting with you whenever we can but this isn’t that kind of phone call.”

            Oprah immediately caught on to the tension she heard in her young friend’s voice.  “Cam, what’s going on?  Is something wrong?”

            “Wow.  This is actually harder than I thought it was going to be.  I mean, it was tough telling my family and Josh and Gia but…again, wow.”  She paused, grateful that Oprah just waited her out.  The older woman had an amazing innate ability to read people and she knew when to talk and when to stop, wait, and listen.  “O, I…have…a week ago I…was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Stage 2B, borderline Stage 3.”  She could hear Oprah suck in a startled breath.  She plunged ahead, her nerves getting the better of her and making her speak rapidly, her Irish brogue coloring her words.  “I was talking to me da and me publicist and they both suggested I make my illness known to the public before I get really sick from the chemo and unflattering photos come out and the rags will start saying that I’m strung out on heroin or some such idiocy.  So, I was hoping I could come on your show and make my announcement and talk about the importance of self-exams and stuff which, by the way, was how I detected the tumors in my breast.”  She paused and took a breath.  “So, what do you think, O?  Can you make time for me on one of your upcoming shows?”

            “Oh, Cameron, sweetheart, I’m so terribly sorry!  Yes, of course you can come on the show.  How soon can you get to Chicago?  Name the day and I’ll make sure the show for that day is rescheduled for another time.  I’ll devote the entire hour to you.  It’s not that common to hear about a breast cancer diagnosis in someone so young so that’s an important topic to discuss.  And I agree with Liam and Sue – you need to put this out there on your own terms, before the tabloids can start the rumors and innuendoes.  I’m serious about what I said, though.  How soon can you get out here?  The sooner you go public, the better.  I’ll round up my producers and get my research people on this today.  If you want to do this as early as next week, we’ll be ready for you.”

            “Yeah, I’d like to do it next week, Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe?  I’m kind of swamped with all kinds of stuff right now and Chris and I are getting ready to move up to Boston in mid-March so he can start work on his newest film.  It’s just…crazy, you know?”  Cameron could hear Oprah rifling through some papers, probably looking through the production calendar Cam knew she kept on her desk.

            “I cannot imagine how you are handling all of this right now, Cam.  I know your nerves are messing with you – the brogue doesn’t usually show up when I’m talking to you one on one.  I’d probably curl up into a little ball and spend all my time in tears, let alone plan a move to Boston.  How are you holding up, girl, seriously?  Talk to me.”

            “First of all, O, you are too strong a woman to do anything but face the diagnosis head on.  You know I’ve always admired you for that.  Believe me, I’ve had a couple of ‘what would Oprah do?’ moments over the past week.  But to answer your question, it’s been the toughest week of my life but I’m getting through it with the love and support of my fantastic family and Josh and Gia and, most of all, with the love, support and strength I get from this amazing man I’m now sharing my life with.”  She smiled at Chris as he blew her a kiss.  “Chris has been my port in the storm from minute one.”

            “That’s wonderful to hear.  And I’m so happy for you, sweetie.  I’ve always thought Chris was a real prince.  I’m glad to hear that he’s taking care of you.  Will he be coming with you to Chicago?”

            “Most definitely.”

            “Do you think he’ll come on the show?  It would be good to get a partner’s take on how it feels to go through this with your significant other.  I’m sure he’s going through what countless men of all ages suffer when they find out their wives and girlfriends are sick.”

            “Oh, uh, I didn’t think of that.  I’ll have to ask him.  Can you give me a second?  He’s right here; I can ask him now.”

            “Sure, sweetie, go ahead.  I’m going to put you on hold while I call my producers in here.  I’ve got a kind of fluffy type show on Wednesday of next week.  It won’t be no big thing if we postpone that in favor of doing the show with you.  Can you come in on Tuesday night and Stedman and I will take you and Chris to dinner?”

            “Let me just…”

            “Ask him.  Okay, hon.  Hang on, I’ll be right back with you.”  Oprah put the call on hold.

            Cam looked over at Chris, who was now sitting on the edge of his seat.  “Babe, Oprah wants to know if you would come on the show to share the significant other’s take on their partner’s illness.  She wants us to fly out on Tuesday so we can have dinner with her and talk about the show, I guess.  Is that okay with you?”

            “Yeah, honey, that’s fine.  Whatever you need me to do.  There’s just one thing…” he trailed off, a sheepish look on his face.  “Do you, ah, I mean, would it be okay if my mom and my sisters come along?  Meeting Oprah is like a big dream for them and…”

            Cam chuckled as she held up a hand to shush him.  “I’ll take care of the arrangements to have them fly down here on the shuttle then we can all fly to Chicago together on my jet.  Let them know now so they can make arrangements at work.  And tell Scotty he can come also.  If Carly wants to bring her husband and Alyssa, that’s fine, too.  I’ll ask Oprah if she knows of a babysitter who can take care of Alyssa while we’re all at the show.”

            Chris gave Cam a happy smile that took her breath away.  God, he was beautiful when he smiled like that.  “You’ll do all that, babe?”

            “Of course, you goof.”  She shook her head dramatically while fighting back a grin.  She looked at her parents.  “You guys are coming, that’s a given, but do you think the young ones will want to come to?”

            “Surely you jest, Cameron,” Isabella drawled.  “I’ll clear it with all the necessary scholastic entities, love.  Just give me the time we’ll be flying out of LaGuardia so I’ll know when to pick up Lucas and Katherine and when to tell the twins to come home, although I do believe those two only have one or two morning classes on Tuesday.  I think they should be home by noon.”

            “I’d like to fly out by two p.m., three at the latest…” she trailed off when she heard Oprah come back on the line.  “Hey, girl, I’ve got Andrew rounding up my producers and I’ve called my head researcher.  Like I said, we’ll be ready for you.  Is Chris on board with the interview?”

            “Yeah, he’s good.  We’ll fly in on Tuesday, be there by five or five-thirty, at the latest, but, um, O?  We’re going to have something of an entourage with us…”

            Oprah started laughing.  “Well,” she said between chuckles, “I kind of figured your family would come with you – you are some of the closest knit people I’ve ever met – but I’m guessing Chris’ family wants in on this trip.”

            “Got it in one, O,” Cam said.  “Is that going to be a problem?”

            “What?  No!  Bring ‘em on.  How many people in total are we talking?  We can do dinner at my house; you, Chris and I can step away for a little bit to go over the interview.  No holds barred, Cam?”

            “Do I ever do any other kind of interview with you, O?”

 

            “My guest today is best known as a super-genius musical prodigy who was speaking in full sentences at eighteen months old and was playing piano and reading music by age two.  In 1991, at age six, she made her concert debut with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center.  In the nineteen years since then, she has played in almost every country on this planet, has appeared with every major orchestra, and has played for presidents, kings and queens.  She holds several degrees, including a doctorate in music from New York University, and is on track to receive another doctorate from Julliard next spring.  In 2008, she won two Academy Awards for the score she wrote for the film in which she made her acting debut, making her the youngest female composer to win that honor.  She has broken through every barrier to become the foremost female musician in the world.  But now, at the tender age of twenty-four, she is about to face the most difficult – and frightening – challenge of her life.  She’s here today to talk with us about it.  Everyone, please welcome the one and only Cameron Kennedy!”

            There was thunderous applause as Cameron, dressed in a long sleeved form fitting dress in deep teal with matching high heeled pumps, made her way out to the stage.  Oprah held her arms out and she and Cameron shared a warm embrace.  Cam stepped back from Oprah and turned to face the audience, who was giving her a very noisy standing ovation.  Cam smiled and waved at the crowd then gave a special smile to the people in the front two rows – her family and Chris’.  Even Chris’ brother-in-law was there; little Alyssa was being cared for backstage by Andrew, Oprah’s assistant.  He had a soft spot for kids and happily volunteered to look after the little girl.  The only person missing was Chris himself, who was backstage in the green room, probably fidgeting even more than he had been now that he was back there alone.

            Cameron and Oprah settled into the matching chairs onstage.  “That was some welcome, eh, Cameron?” Oprah said with a grin.

            “That was lovely,” Cam replied, her brogue gently coloring her words.  “It’s nice to know I’m appreciated, even when I don’t have a violin in my hands.”  Oprah and the audience laughed.

            “It came as quite a surprise to the world when you announced last December that you were retiring from the concert stage after touring every other year for almost twenty years.  How’s retirement treating you?”  Oprah turned to her audience.  “Can you believe I’m saying this to a twenty-four year old?”  Everyone chuckled as Cam smiled and shook her head.

            “I’m only _semi_ -retired, Oprah.”

            “Oh, like that makes it any easier on us older folks!”

            Cam laughed.  “No, I don’t suppose it does.  Being retired from the concert stage has opened up a whole new world for me.  I have more of a life now, not that my life before my retirement was all that terrible…just overly busy.  But now I have so much more freedom and that freedom is allowing me to have the one thing I couldn’t sustain during my days on the road:  a relationship.”

            Oprah nodded as a large photograph of a laughing Cameron and Chris appeared on the screen behind them.  It was one of Cam’s favorites of them, taken the night she won both of her Oscars.  “You and Chris Evans have been friends for a bunch of years now, haven’t you?”

            “Yes, the very best of friends but I think we both knew there was something more to it.  But given my insane schedule and his up and coming career, I just didn’t think I could give one hundred percent to a full-time romantic relationship.  I mean, I was never around!  And that wasn’t fair to him…or to me.  So, I thought long and hard over the past year and realized that being with him was the missing piece of the puzzle of an otherwise wonderful life.  So I decided to say goodbye to the constant traveling and the crazy schedules and say hello to a life with the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”  This was met with loud applause.  Cameron smiled at the audience.

            “Stedman and I hosted you, Chris and both your families last night and,” Oprah turned to the audience, “let me tell you, people, I’ve known Cameron Kennedy since she was seven years old, and over the years we’ve become very good friends but I have _never_ seen her happier than she was last night with Chris by her side.”  She turned back to Cam.  “You two are absolutely beautiful together and very, very blessed.  It’s easy to see you belong with each other.”

            Cam blushed slightly as she smiled at her friend.  “Thank you, that’s a lovely thing to say.  Yes, I do believe I’m blessed to have him in my life.  He’s wonderful to me.  He’s also my port in the storm…my strength, especially over the past week.”

            Oprah nodded and turned back to the audience.  “Cam’s visit with us today is not just our semi-annual get together.  She’s here to discuss something very important and,” she reached over and took Cameron’s slightly trembling hand, “and very difficult.  But it’s an issue that affects an average of one in eight women in the United States and those women can be of any age.”  She looked back at Cam.  “Go ahead, sweetie.”

            Cameron took a deep breath as she looked out over the audience.  Her eyes searched out and found her mother’s.  Isabella gave her a watery smile and nodded her head.  Cam gave a slight nod of her own then cleared her throat.  She felt Oprah tighten her grip on her hand, silently lending the young musician her strength.  _Is saying these words ever going to get easier_ , Cam thought as she opened her mouth to speak.  “Last week, during my regular monthly self-exam, I discovered two lumps in my right breast.”  There were a few gasps from the audience but otherwise, the studio was deadly quiet.  “Given that there is a history of breast cancer on my mother’s side of the family, I immediately went to see my doctor and his brother, who is an oncologist.  A biopsy was done and…I was diagnosed with Stage 2B cancer.”  Cam felt tears well up in her eyes but she fought to keep them at bay.  “I start chemotherapy in the next couple of weeks and I’ll be undergoing surgery to remove the tumors within the next couple of months.  My oncologist, Robert Shapiro, believes we’ve caught it early enough so my prognosis is good but…well, you never know with these things so let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic.

            “It’s been a difficult week, as you could all well imagine.  There are a lot of things to learn and consider and discuss with this sort of thing.  It’s not as cut and dried as just receiving the diagnosis and getting treatment.  In my case, because of my age, I have to give thought to the possibility of chemo interfering with my ability to have children in the future because some of the cancer drugs can cause infertility, among other nasty side effects.  And there are also so many other things – even deciding how to tell your family, your friends…the man you love – that have to be thought out, planned.  Do you keep it from them for a little bit while you get a handle on it yourself, or do you just tell them as soon as you hear the diagnosis?

            “The moment you’re given the diagnosis, one of the most important things that goes through your head – well, mine, at least – is, _how is my husband/boyfriend/significant other going to take this?_   Because this fight you’re facing is going to involve them quite intimately.”  She paused and looked at Oprah, the tears still threatening to fall.  “It’s a lot, it really is.”

            “Oh, sweetie, I can only imagine what a shock this has been for you.  You said you discovered the lumps during your monthly self-exam – is that something you’ve been doing for a long time now?  Most young women in their twenties that I know don’t do self-exams, although maybe they should.”

            “My maternal grandmother and her two sisters were all diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a little girl.  My nan and her older sister survived it but their younger sister, who had a really fast moving strain of the disease, died within a year of her diagnosis.  My nan taught all of her daughters how to perform a self-exam and, from the time each of them turned eighteen, they were required to perform one every month after their period was done.  My mother, in turn, taught my sisters and me how to perform the exam, and my younger sister Elizabeth and I have done them faithfully since we each turned eighteen.  My youngest sister, Katherine, is only fifteen but she knows what’s expected of her,” she turned her head and sought out Kate in the second row, “especially after…this, don’t you, deirfiúr beag de mo chroí?”  Kate nodded, tears running down her flushed cheeks.

            Oprah smiled sadly.  “I’ve always loved how you speak to your family in your native Irish, Cam.”  She gave Cam’s hand a quick squeeze.  “So doing your monthly exam may very well have saved your life.”

            Cameron nodded.  “I believe so.  If I hadn’t done the exam, God knows how long it would have taken me to realize they were there.  Time is a huge factor in fighting this disease.  It almost goes without saying that the longer the disease goes undiagnosed, the slimmer your chances are of beating it.  The self-exam is important and I really urge all women to start performing it.  It could save your life.”

            “That is the God’s honest truth, Cam.”  Oprah nodded towards the Kennedys and the Evanses.  “As I said earlier, you and your family are very close knit and they, as well as Chris’ family, are here in the audience.”  Oprah smiled and waved at them as the audience applauded.  “But even with the closeness you share with them, it must have been difficult to tell them.”

            “It was.  Thankfully, Chris was by my side the whole time and that made it easier, although I may have tried to crush every bone in his hands.”  She chuckled as Oprah and the audience laughed.

            “I’m guessing Chris was the first to know?  How did you tell him?  _When_ did you tell him?”

            “When I first discovered the lumps, that was one of the first things that went through my mind:  do I tell Chris what I found immediately or do I go to the doctor and wait until I get the results first then tell him?  Well, as it turns out, either I don’t have the poker face I always thought I had or Chris has gotten way too good at reading me because he told me he knew something was up and I wound up telling him that same morning.  He went to my appointment with me and has been with me every step of the way since.  I don’t know how I could have gotten through this past week without him, although I’ve had some really bitchy moments and have, to my embarrassment and regret, shut him out on several occasions.  Finding out something this potentially catastrophic can _really_ screw with your head, Oprah.  Until you can make some sense of it, it can make you do and say some really stupid things to the people who are least deserving of that kind of behavior.”

            “Being told you have cancer has got to be one of the most mind-blowing moments one can have in their life,” Oprah said, “and, as Cameron said earlier, it doesn’t just affect the patient, but the loved ones around them.  We’re going to take a quick break, but when we come back, Cameron and I will talk about that and we’re going to be joined by Cam’s boyfriend, actor Chris Evans, and talk to him about what he went through when he heard Cameron’s diagnosis.  We’re also going to talk about some of the decisions you two have made and your future plans as you fight this awful disease.  We’ll be right back.”

            “And we’re off,” the director called.  “Take a couple minutes, ladies.”

            Oprah let go of Cam’s hand and reached over to pick up one of the water glasses that sat on the small table between the chairs they occupied.  She handed the glass to Cam.  “Drink up, sweetie.  It will help calm you.  I can feel how tense you are.”

            “Thanks, O,” Cam said gratefully.  She took a long drink then set the glass down on the table.  “Do I have time to speak to…?” she gestured towards her families.

            “Oh, sure, sweetie, go ahead.  I have to go talk to my producer for a minute.”

            Cam smiled at Oprah then levered herself out of the comfortable chair.  She walked over to her people.  Lisa Evans stood up as Cameron approached and enveloped the girl in a big hug.  “You holding up okay, Cam?  You look a little nervous.”

            “Is it bad, Mama?  Do I look like a wreck?”

            Lisa chuckled.  “No, honey, of course not.  You don’t look like you’re walking through a haunted house or anything.  You’re having a normal reaction to a difficult situation.  But Chris will be coming out soon.  I’m sure he’ll help calm you.”

            Cam’s smile was soft and loving.  “He always does.”  She hugged Lisa again then turned to her mother.  “Mam?  How are you holding up?  Were those tears I saw when I looked at you earlier?”

            “Oh, my girl, what mother worth her salt wouldn’t feel her child’s fear and pain?  But you’re doing beautifully, love.  I’m so proud of you.  We all are.”

            Cam felt tears clog her throat.  “Mam,” she croaked, “don’t do that!  You’ll have me welling up again.”

            Isabella grinned.  “Sorry, lovey.”

            Cam snorted.  “No, you’re not.”  Her mother wrinkled her nose at her.

            “Hey, Cam, we’re about to start up again,” Oprah called from her chair on the stage.

            “Gotta go,” Cam told her family and headed back to her chair.  She saw that the stagehands had added another chair next to hers.  She smiled; Chris would be out here with her very soon.

            “And we’re back in three…two…one…”

            “Welcome back,” Oprah spoke into the camera.  “We’re here with musician, composer, singer, and actress Cameron Kennedy who just last week was diagnosed with breast cancer.”  She turned to Cam.  “When did you tell your family about your diagnosis, Cameron?”

            “I told them on the same day I found the lumps.  I felt they had the right to know immediately.  I didn’t want to keep anything from them.  Besides, I knew I would need them and their support.  And they’ve been wonderful, behind me every step of the way, as you can see,” she said as she swept her arm towards where they were sitting.  The audience gave them a warm round of applause.

            “You’re lucky to have such a wonderful support system, Cam.  Sadly, there are cancer victims who don’t have that kind of support and more often than not have to fight this battle on their own.”

            “Yes, that’s true.  Dr. Shapiro, my oncologist, has told me about patients he’s had that had little or no family or friends they could lean on so he’s made it a point to start his own support groups for these people to go to where they can find others in similar situations.  He says it’s very gratifying to see these patients rely on and support each other during treatment.  Support group members will accompany each other to chemo sessions or be there for each other after surgery.  I urge anyone who’s been diagnosed with cancer who doesn’t have their own support system to seek out these groups.  They do wonderful things for each other.  Talk to your doctor, get in touch with the Susan G. Komen Foundation or the American Cancer Society to find out about support groups near you.  It will help tremendously.  Fighting cancer is not something you should do alone.  It helps to have someone to share the load, it really does.”

            “And you’ve been blessed to not only have an awesome family but a good man and _his_ family to help you through this.”

            “Yes, indeed.  The Evans family didn’t hesitate to offer their support.  I love them all so very much.”

            “So let’s meet the young man who you call your ‘port in the storm.’”  Behind them, the big screen came to life with photos of Chris with Oprah doing a pre-recorded narration.  Cameron smiled.  The media mogul did say she would be prepared for their interview.

            “Chris Evans, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, began his acting career in school plays and musicals.  Upon graduating from high school, he began his career full-time, appearing on various TV shows and in a number of films.  In 2005, Chris appeared in his first big-budget movie, Marvel’s _Fantastic Four_ , where he played Johnny Storm, The Human Torch.  His playful and wickedly snarky performance gained him serious attention in Hollywood and his career took off.  It was also in 2005, at the New York premiere party for _Fantastic Four_ , that he met then twenty year old Cameron Kennedy.  The two became the best of friends.  Chris’ career continued to thrive and he went on to star in a second _Fantastic Four_ film.  He appeared as ‘Harvard Hottie’ in _The Nanny Diaries_ opposite Scarlett Johansson and as a cop alongside Keanu Reeves in _Street Kings_.  Throughout this time, Chris and Cameron grew closer and closer and in December 2009, upon Cameron’s retirement from the concert stage, the two finally became a couple.  This year, Chris Evans’ career is about to take a huge leap forward – he has signed on with Marvel Studios once again and will be bringing to life one of the comic book empire’s most popular characters, Captain America, making him the only actor to date to portray two major superheroes from the same comic universe in two different films.”  The narration ended and the photo montage on the screen stopped on another favorite photo of Cameron’s, one taken by her youngest brother Lucas of Chris and Cameron during their New Year’s trip to Ireland.  In the photo, Chris had his arm around Cam’s shoulders and their heads were leaning against each other’s as they had a pint at the Dublin pub owned by Liam’s father.

            “But now,” Oprah said to her audience, “Chris faces his toughest role yet:  as the significant other of a cancer patient.  He’s here to address a topic that is often overlooked:  the thoughts and feelings of a man whose wife or girlfriend is suffering from a potentially life-threatening disease.  Everyone, please welcome Chris Evans.”  She and Cameron stood up as Chris, wearing the Yves Saint Laurent suit Cam loved so much, followed the same path Cameron had taken when she came out on stage.  When Chris reached Cam, he pulled her into his arms for a long embrace and a soft kiss.  He let her go and stepped over to Oprah and leaned down to kiss her cheek as they shared a quick hug.  He stepped back, gave Cam a quick kiss then waited until the ladies sat down before he took his seat.  He immediately picked up Cam’s hand and interlaced his fingers with hers.  He turned to Oprah with a smile.  “How are you, Chris?  You are looking very sharp in that suit!”  This prompted a few screams from some of the women in the audience.

            Blushing, Chris grinned and said, “This is Cameron’s favorite suit of mine so I wore it for her.”  That earned him an “awwww” from the audience and warm applause.

            “Told you he was amazing,” Cam said with a slightly smug smile.  _Scream all you want, ladies, this one goes home with me,_ she thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost 900 views! Wow! I am flattered and humbled. Thank you for sticking with Chris and Cameron (and me) on this journey.


	6. The Show Must Go On, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris sits down for his interview with Oprah...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the delay, people, but after four long, miserable years living with relatives, my son and I finally got a new apartment in a new town and life's been kinda nuts with this move (but a really good kind of nuts, believe me). Chris and Cameron followed me to my new town and have been harassing me about updating (and finishing) this particular installment so here we are.
> 
> Thank you so much for your continued support of this story. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with the almost 1200 views this thing has gotten. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

The Show Must Go On, Part 2

 

            “So, Chris, please take us through your thoughts and feelings when Cameron told you about finding the lumps in her breast, and what you felt when you and she received the definitive diagnosis,” Oprah said.

            “Wow, where do I start?  The day she found the lumps, she had already gotten up before me and was downstairs making breakfast.  She seemed a little manic to me, which is usually a sign that something heavy duty is on her mind.  I waited to see if she would say something about what was bothering her but she kept quiet.  I couldn’t take it anymore so I asked her what was going on.  You could see it on her face that she didn’t know how to tell me.  In retrospect, that’s easy to understand given what she had to say.”  He paused then, almost as a reflex, he lifted Cam’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.  When he looked up at Oprah, his eyes were shiny with tears.  “She didn’t come right out and tell me about the lumps.  She prefaced that by telling me about her nana and her great-aunts, all of whom were victims of breast cancer.  So when she said she’d performed her exam, I saw it on her face and it hit me like a baseball bat to the chest.  For a second, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.  Then all these thoughts started running through my head:  this couldn’t be happening to Cameron, not now, now that we were finally together; not ever, she doesn’t deserve this.  I mean, of course, no one deserves to get cancer, but this is _Cameron_ , the love of my life.  There’s no way she could be sick, no way I could lose her.”  Chris shook his head and gave a wry smile.  “Then, Cameron being Cameron, she started telling me that those lumps weren’t necessarily cancerous, that women get lumps in their breasts for all sorts of reasons.  Here she was, faced with the most terrifying thing that could happen to her, and she was trying to reassure _me_!”  He turned and looked at Cameron.  “I think I loved her more in those few seconds than I have in the five years I’ve known her.  She was putting me ahead of herself, like she always does.”  He kissed the back of her hand again.

            “And isn’t that just the complete essence of Cameron Kennedy?  She’s a very selfless person,” Oprah said as she reached over once again and squeezed Cam’s hand.

            Cameron smiled shyly.  “Thank you, Oprah.”

            “That’s Cam in a nutshell,” Chris said.  “You’d think that given who she is and what she can do that she’d kind of be selfish or clueless or an outright snob but no, that’s just not her.  On the day we met, even though I had a raging crush on her, I really wasn’t sure what to expect when we first spoke but she was the nicest, sweetest girl – she still is.”

            “Stop it, _a ghra_ , you’re killing my street cred as a no-nonsense badass,” Cam said as she nudged Chris with her free hand.  Oprah dissolved into laughter.  Cameron grinned as she looked at her friend.  “Hey, sometimes I have to show a conductor or a first chair who’s boss, you know?”

            “Oh, Cameron,” Oprah chuckled, “you are too much.  It’s really nice to see that despite what you’re going through, you are still maintaining that wicked sense of humor of yours.”  She sobered then turned back to Chris.  “So, Cameron telling you she found two lumps in her breast was certainly that last thing you would have ever imagined, right?”

            “Oprah, you have no idea.  And I couldn’t even tell myself that she was just having me on because she could never be cruel enough to joke with me – or anyone – that way and, well, that’s not something one should joke about anyway.”

“So, shock, disbelief, those were your first reactions to her announcement?” Oprah asked.

            “Shock, disbelief, fear, horror – just about every terrible thing a person can feel in the moment they receive the worst news of their life,” Chris answered.  “Then, right behind that, came determination…and anger.  I was determined to help Cameron through this, and I was angry on her behalf that she would have to go through this at all.”

            “Cameron was given the definitive diagnosis the very next day, correct?  Her oncologist put a rush on the biopsy results?”

            “That’s right.”

            “What did you feel then?”

            “Everything I felt the day before, magnified by a hundred.  The shock – and the pain – was deeper, crippling, so much worse than my first reactions.  Now it was real, it wasn’t something that was just going to clear up by itself and go away.  Cam needed to undergo chemo and radiation and surgery and there was always the possibility, however small, that she could wind up like her great-aunt, who died within a year of being diagnosed.  I thought I had it handled, that I was prepared to hear the worst, but I had just been fooling myself.  I _wasn’t_ prepared; this wasn’t something I could just take in stride and move on.  It was painful, knowing for sure that the woman I loved had a life-threatening illness; it was scary.”

            “I know that this is usually a difficult subject for men to talk about.  Most men stick to the old stereotypes of being the strong, silent type and they won’t articulate what’s really going on in their minds as they deal with the illness of a significant other.  I wanted to bring you on the show along with Cameron because you are willing to talk about what’s going on inside _you_ as Cameron battles this insidious disease.” Oprah smiled at Chris then turned to the audience.  “I think Chris is good at playing superheroes because he _is_ a superhero in real life.  He is actively involved in everything Cameron is doing to fight her cancer.  He promised her he would be there for her in every way possible and,” she turned to Cameron now, “has he been?”

            “Absolutely,” Cameron replied.  “On the day I received the biopsy results, we left the doctor’s office and immediately went to a Staples to buy a large calendar so Chris could start writing down appointments and important dates and all that.  He wants to keep track of everything so if I have an appointment on a day that he can’t be with me, he’ll call our families or Josh or Gia and find someone who can come and be with me in his stead.  That won’t happen just yet because he’s home with me but we’re leaving for Boston at the end of the month where he’ll be filming a movie and won’t always be able to get away to attend appointments or therapy with me.”

            “That’s wonderful.  I bet every woman in this studio wishes they had a Chris of their own right about now, right, ladies?” Oprah asked her audience with a grin.  She was answered with loud applause and a few more girlish screams.  Chris glanced at Cam, a small smile and a rosy blush gracing his handsome face.  Cam winked at him.

            Oprah turned back to Chris, settling her face back into serious interviewer mode.  “Chris, tell me, since you found out about Cam’s illness, what’s the one thing that you think about most?”

            Chris looked down at his and Cam’s joined hands for a long moment.  Bringing his eyes back up to meet Oprah’s, he said, quietly, “I’m scared of losing her.  I know Dr. Shapiro feels we caught it early and that she’s got a better than average chance at a full recovery, but I can’t help thinking about the great aunt she lost all those years ago.  She and her sisters were all diagnosed around the same time but her cancer was much more aggressive than theirs and she was gone so quickly.  We don’t really know if that could happen to Cameron.  I hope and pray it won’t but…we just don’t know with any real certainty yet and that scares the hell out of me.  Cam’s been a big part of my life for the past five years, so much so that I often can’t remember her _not_ being in it, so I honestly don’t know what I would do if…if she doesn’t…come back from this.  I try not to dwell on that thought, let it rule my life, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it a couple of times a day.”

            “Oh, _a ghra_ ,” Cam said under her breath as she tightened her hand around Chris’.  The audience sat in respectful silence, their attention rapt upon the handsome young man in the beautiful suit who was so obviously head over heels in love with the young woman beside him.

            “Is this the hardest thing you’ve ever faced, Chris?” Oprah asked gently.

            He nodded.  “I thought my parents’ divorce was difficult but I came to understand that they were better apart than they were together so my brother and sisters and I came to terms with that fairly quickly but this…man, this is so damn hard.  There are so many unknowns, so many things that could go sideways in a hurry, you know?  But I try to keep up the brave face, not just for myself but for her.  We try to maintain our regular routines, like making breakfast together, or jointly harassing her butler when it’s his turn to cook,” at this Oprah and the audience laughed, “or going food shopping or picking up stuff at the drug store, you know, the normal things a couple does in their day to day life.  Of course, now there are other routines added:  we’re interviewing candidates to become Cam’s live-in private duty nurse, and she has to take the IVF meds and all that.  But every night, after she goes to sleep, I just watch her and pray that I’ll be watching her sleep peacefully by my side every night for a whole lot more years to come.  And again, I have to fight to keep from thinking about the possibility that her side of the bed may be empty long before her time.”

            “We’re all hoping that won’t be the case, Chris,” Oprah said quietly.  “You just mentioned something that I want to talk to you two about but we’ll do that when we come back from this next break.  Stay with us, we’ll be right back.”

            “We’re off,” the director said.

            Cam laid her forehead against Chris’ shoulder.  “My love, why didn’t you tell me?” she asked softly.

            Chris pressed a kiss against the top of her head.  “You’ve got enough to worry about without taking on my worries and fears.”

            “But…”

            “No, sweetheart, you can’t take my stuff onto your already overburdened shoulders.  You’re going to collapse under the weight of it all.  It is what it is, babe.  I’ll deal with it.  As long as I continue to have you by my side, I’ll deal with it.  I love you.”

            Cameron looked up into the bright blue eyes she adored and saw his quiet strength and the endless depths of his love for her.  Truly, she was the most blessed woman on the face of the planet.  “I love you, too, _a ghra_.”  She gave him a quick kiss.

            “And don’t you ever forget it,” he said with a crooked grin as he kissed her back.

 

            “So one of the more insidious, but slightly lesser known, side effects of chemotherapy is the damage it can do to a woman’s reproductive system, especially a woman as young as Cameron.  The drugs used for treatment have been known to leave a woman sterile.  Was this something you already knew, Cam, or did your doctor tell you about it while you were discussing treatment options?” Oprah asked.

            “I’d heard about it but Dr. Shapiro confirmed that it could be one of the side effects.”

            “I understand that you two have already talked about eventually having children together.”

            “Yes,” Chris and Cam answered in unison.

            “Given what you’re about to face, what with chemo and all that, what steps have you two taken to try to ensure that can happen for you in the future?”

            Cam answered that question.  “We discussed it with my oncologist and my internist and we’ve decided to freeze some of my eggs.  This way, if the chemo does, in fact, render me sterile, I might still have a chance to have a biological child by thawing my eggs, having them fertilized then implanted in my uterus.  And, if for some reason I can’t have a successful pregnancy, we can always use a surrogate to carry a child for us.  Our sisters and our best friend have all already volunteered.”

            “Really?  That’s amazing and a true testament to how close you and your families are.  That’s really wonderful.”  Oprah turned towards the Kennedys and the Evanses.  “I applaud you, ladies.  That’s a good thing you’ve offered to do for your sister and brother.”  The audience gave a round of applause.  Oprah turned back to Cameron.  “So, you are going through the same steps a couple who requires in-vitro fertilization would be going through, correct?”

            “Yes,” Chris said as Cam nodded.  “She has to take certain meds and get an injection in her hip every night for at least two weeks before she’s ready to have her eggs harvested.  When her eggs are taken, though, they’ll be frozen.  They won’t be fertilized then frozen or fertilized and implanted in her.  Once she’s done with her cancer treatments and a few months have gone by – we have to wait until the chemo drugs are completely out of her system – the doctors will check and see if her eggs are still…good, for lack of a better word.  We don’t plan on having kids any time soon but at least we’ll know which road to take when we are ready to start a family.”

            “So this wasn’t really a tough decision for you as a couple?”

            Cam shook her head.  “Not at all.  Since I’d heard that chemo can mess with a woman’s ability to conceive, when I got my diagnosis, I immediately decided that freezing my eggs would be the way to go.  I just needed to talk to Chris about it and get his opinion.  Luckily, he agreed.”

            “I want us to try to have a biological child by whatever means are available to us, should we not be able to conceive the old fashioned way,” Chris said, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.  After all, he was discussing conceiving a child with Cameron on nationwide television _and_ in front of his mother and her parents!  “But, should that fail, we are certainly not against surrogacy using donor eggs and my, uh, sperm,” he blushed again, “or looking into adoption.  Even if we can have a biological child, we would still look into adopting a kid, though.  We both want a big family.”

            “This is something that women of child-bearing age who develop not just breast cancer, but any other type of cancer, have to think about.  It’s an unfortunate side effect and, down the road, it could turn out to be a very costly one.  Chris and I can certainly afford to have a whole bunch of eggs extracted and frozen, and we can afford the procedures to have them fertilized and implanted, if it comes to that, but the average couple probably can’t.  The cost is prohibitive; it’s like ten thousand dollars or more for each procedure.  It’s crazy.  And insurance doesn’t always cover the costs.  Again, Chris and I are truly blessed but I really feel for those women who are faced with this dilemma.  It’s a double whammy – getting cancer and being in danger of not being able to conceive after your life has been saved.  That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, but it’s too soon to really discuss what’s been going on in my head.”

            “Which can be a really scary place sometimes,” Chris put in, feeling the need to lighten the mood a bit.  Oprah laughed as Cameron turned her head towards Chris and said, “What was that?” with a heavier than usual brogue.

            “Nothing, sweetheart.  So, Oprah, what else would you like to discuss?”  Oprah continued to grin as Cameron leveled a look at Chris that clearly said _you’ll pay for that later_.

            “These two are seriously cute, people,” Oprah told her audience with a chuckle.  “We need to take a break.  We’ll be right back.”

 

            The rest of the interview went very well.  Chris told Oprah about his upcoming movie shoots and how they planned to juggle his schedule, their travel, and her treatments.  After the main show was over, Oprah asked them to do her after-show, which was aired on the show’s website, where the audience could ask them questions.  They had a lively and thoughtful discussion with the audience, among which were several women around Cam’s age who’d been diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer and another several who’d survived their cancers and went on to have children.  This was Oprah’s surprise for Cameron, to give her a chance to talk to other women in her situation and to give her hope about the future.  Cameron was deeply touched and very grateful to Oprah.  She exchanged email addresses and phone numbers with each of those women, fully intent to form her own little support group with them.  That evening, as a thank you to Oprah and Stedman, Cameron took them, Chris and their families to a restaurant she’d rented out for the evening.  Late that night, the Kennedys and the Evanses flew back to New York and Boston, respectively.

            Very early the next day, before they’d even had a chance to get out of bed, Oprah called to tell Cameron and Chris that the show was going to be aired on Friday but that someone had leaked the subject matter to the press and word of her illness was spreading like wildfire.  Cameron wasn’t thrilled by this news but she, Chris, Liam, and Sue felt confident about their decision to announce it on Oprah and were sure that the press coverage could be handled.  After all, Sue was excellent at her job.

            Lisa Evans called right after Cam had rung off with Sue, who’d called Chris while Cam was on with Oprah, and told them that she’d seen some of the press coverage on the morning shows.  “At least they’re saying the reports are unconfirmed.  Apparently someone in the audience blabbed to a reporter and that was all it took.”  Lisa sounded annoyed.

            “It’s okay, Mama.  The show is airing tomorrow and the whole story will come out, straight from the horse’s mouth.  Sue is on high alert, and she will handle it.  She’s a total master of the PR universe.  I trust her.”

            “Do you think you’re going to have people camped out on your doorstep from now until the show airs?”

            “Probably,” Chris said with a shrug.  Cam had Lisa on speaker.

            “Why don’t you two come up here, spend the weekend.  You know we don’t get bothered too much here in Sudbury.”

            Chris turned onto his side and gazed at Cam’s profile as she stared at her phone.  “That doesn’t sound like a half bad idea, sweetheart.  What do you think?”

            Cam scooched over closer to Chris and put her head next to his on his pillow.  He automatically wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him.  “I like it.  I don’t feel like dealing with the press today.  Even though yesterday went extremely well, it took a lot out of me, emotionally and physically.  A couple of days at the Evans stronghold will do me some good, I think.  You’re good with this, yes, Mama?”

            “Silly Cameron, I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”

            “Done,” Cam said.  “I’m going to call my pilot.  He’s probably going to want to kill me but this is why he gets paid the big bucks.  We’ll see you in a few hours, Mama Lisa.”

            “Call me from the plane and let me know what time you’ll be landing.  Scott and I will pick you up at the airport.”

            “That sounds great, Mom,” Chris said.  “See you soon.  And thanks.”

            “No thanks are needed.  Anything for my babies.”

            A few phone calls, some hurried packing, and a mad dash past some intrepid paparazzi to a waiting limousine later, Cam and Chris were headed to her private hangar at LaGuardia Airport.  Surprisingly, her pilot (and cousin) Daniel was very understanding of Cam’s desire to get out of Dodge quick, fast and in a hurry.  She’d actually caught him on the way to the airport; he’d been planning to conduct his bi-monthly safety check on the plane that morning.  He said he’d file the flight plan the moment he got to the airport and that he was sure they could leave within a half hour of her arrival at the hangar.

            Chris and Cam settled back into the leather seats of the limo, his arm around her shoulders and her body tucked snugly against his.  “And so it begins,” she said softly as she laid her head on his shoulder.

            “Yeah,” he said on a deep sigh.

            “You ready for the shit-storm that’s just been stirred up?”

            He smiled.  “I was just about to ask you the same thing, babe.”

            “Great minds and all that,” she said with a chuckle.

            “I don’t know if either of us is really ready for this but we’ll get through it.  Together, as always.  I love you, Cam.  I’m here, by your side, for as long as you need me.”

            “That would be forever, then.  Good.”  She angled her head to look up at him.  “I love you so much, _a ghra_.  My gorgeous port in the storm.”

            Chris smiled as he bent his head and kissed her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I've already got a couple more installments written up (one-offs, nothing multi-chapter at the moment). This story is not quite done. Hope you'll continue to come along for the ride.
> 
> Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how big this pup's gonna get. My muse is really messing with me this week. Hope you're up to going along for the ride.
> 
> Thanks for reading and thanks for the kudos! So greatly appreciated.


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